VISAKHAPATNAM: Kondu tribal farmers in Neredu Bandha, a hilltop hamlet under Cheemalapadu panchayat in Ravikamatham mandal of Anakapalle district, staged a symbolic protest by ploughing their drought-hit fields on Saturday, demanding crop-loss compensation, food assistance and employment.
The farmers, who belong to a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), left their cattle in the fields and urged officials to assess the damage immediately. They warned of a wider agitation if authorities failed to visit the village and initiate relief measures within a week.
According to villagers, eight Kondu families cultivated millets, paddy, pulses and maize across about 70 acres this season, but the crops withered completely. They attributed the losses to adverse weather conditions linked to El Niño. The families are now burdened with debts from loans taken from private moneylenders to meet cultivation expenses.
With no agricultural income, the affected families said they were struggling to meet their basic needs. They said work under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) was unavailable in the area and wages for earlier work remained unpaid.
Ten families have job cards but have been unable to secure employment, allegedly due to a lack of field-level arrangements. The families said their lack of income had made it difficult even to collect rations. They sought 50 kg of free rice for each affected family through the public distribution system, along with employment support until conditions improved.
The farmers also sought access to government-backed agricultural loans for patta lands. They said agriculture department officials had not visited the remote hilltop villages to assess the crop damage.
Villagers, including Kilo Potti Dora and Dippal Apparao, called for an immediate survey and submission of crop-loss reports to the government to facilitate timely compensation.
CPM district executive member K. Govinda Rao said two families had already left Neredu Bandha to work at fish ponds elsewhere. He warned that more families could be forced to migrate if relief measures were delayed.
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