Adivasi hamlet protests three months of darkness, demands accountability

For three months, the households of Vedullavalasa—a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) Gadaba Adivasi hamlet under Kovvuru panchayat in Rolugunta mandal—have reportedly navigated their nights in pitch darkness. Frustrated by prolonged neglect, the villagers recently staged a unique and forceful protest, marching through the unlit lanes while holding candles to draw administrative attention to their plight.

The locals alleged that the streetlights remained out for a quarter of the year because the panchayat’s electricity bills and dues went unpaid. When residents sought answers, they encountered a frustrating cycle of buck-passing. The local lineman blamed the panchayat for unpaid bills, the panchayat secretary claimed that no demand notice had been issued for the past fortnight, the Assistant Engineer (AE) told villagers to check with the lineman, and the lineman pointed right back at the AE, the locals claimed.

This lack of coordination between panchayat and electricity department officials has left vulnerable populations stranded. Villagers said that the darkness is more than an inconvenience; it is a severe safety hazard. “With no illumination, deadly reptiles such as snakes and venomous centipedes frequently crawl into residential areas, putting women, children, and the elderly at immediate risk during night hours,” they said.

Backed by CPI district secretariat member K. Govinda Rao and local residents like Neelapu Devudamma and Ganta Lakshmi, the villagers submitted a formal memorandum to the MPDO. They demanded an immediate high-level inquiry into the coordination failure, clearance of pending dues, and swift restoration of streetlights.