Adivasi hamlet protests three months of darkness, demands accountability
Residents of the Vedullavalasa Adivasi hamlet have been living without electricity for three months due to a bureaucratic dispute over unpaid bills between the local panchayat and the electricity department. The villagers staged a candlelit protest and submitted a formal memorandum to officials, citing severe safety risks from wildlife in the unlit area.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the systemic administrative failures and lack of accountability that often leave vulnerable tribal communities without access to basic essential services.
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.
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