Residents of remote tribal hamlets constituting Pungampattu Nadu and Nellivasal Nadu village panchayats, atop Jawadhu Hills near Tirupattur town, have erected banners in their villages, asking political parties not to visit them to canvas for votes for the Lok Sabha election as the parties failed to provide civic amenities to their villages in all these years.
Pungampattu Nadu, Pudur Nadu and Nellivasal Nadu are three major tribal villages on the Tirupattur side of Jawadhu Hills. These panchayats comprise 32 tribal hamlets with around 17,000 voters. The hamlets are located deep inside reserve forests (RF) that fall under the Tirupattur forest range in the hills.
“Many sick persons, including pregnant women, had died on the way to the hospital over the years as we were unable to shift them to Jolarpet or Tirupattur towns at the foothills where government hospitals were available,” said K. Karuppan, a farmer.
As repeated pleas with government authorities and elected representatives had not improved their living conditions, residents erected banners in their hamlets against voting in the upcoming election. They have also asked political parties not to visit their hamlets seeking votes. “Many men, who were once farmers, migrated to big towns and cities like Bengaluru, Salem and Chennai, to work as labourers, leaving behind their families, due to the difficulty they faced in transporting agricultural produce from the hills to local markets,” said S. Veerammal, a resident.
On average, each tribal hamlet has around 40-50 families, with most of them led by women. Children from these hamlets have to go to government schools in Pudur Nadu or Nellivasal Nadu, around 12 km away. At present, only muddy pathways are available for residents to reach these villages for their day-to-day work. Due to lack of roads, bus services and ambulances are not available to them. Pregnant women are usually carried by men to health centres in these villages.
Tribal farmers cultivate mostly millets, vegetables and greens and honey collection is a major occupation. Farm produce is carried on foot to local markets in Jolarpet and Tirupattur towns. Fair price shops exist in the village but during monsoon, rations cannot be transported owing to the steep and slushy terrain. Cardholders have to walk down the hills to Pudur village to buy the rations.
“Requests for forest land to lay a bitumen stretch to these hamlets, which are closer to foothills, have been made to the Forest Department. A proposal for laying a road is also made,” said a DRDA official.
