Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh): A village in Andhra Pradesh's Vishakapatnam has put up a shining example of how to use the coronavirus lockdown time productively. Faced with an absence of road connectivity, villagers of Mandrebu a tribal hamlet in Anantagiri Mandal here have come together to construct a road with their own efforts and money.
Residing at a distance of 30 km from the Peddakota Panchayat and 130 kilometres away from Mandal headquarters, the villagers have been deprived of basic facilities since ages due to non-construction of roads.
The villagers have to either walk miles to satisfy their basic needs or ride a horse to travel to far-off places, as there is no facility of public transport.
Anand, a resident of Mandrebu said, "We must go on a horse if we have to go to Devarapalli for any work. There is no proper bus facility. The only bus at Devarapalli won't come to our village. If we want to fetch rice from PDS, or if we want to draw Employment Guarantee scheme money; we have to go to Devarapalli by horse. We cannot go that much long distance on foot."
As per reports, there is no school or medical facility in the area and villagers say there is no provision for safe drinking water as well.
Considering laying road as the only solution to multiple problems, the villagers decided to take the matter in their own hands and fixed the road together, putting the days under lockdown to constructive use.
Another villager said "We get some money from Employment Guarantee scheme and we decided to build a road with our own money. If we want to get some work done in the village or to get cement and steel for construction it is not easy to transport them without a proper road. We are compelled to use horses. We want a road to our village."
With inputs from ANI
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