Denied tar road, villagers show politicians the door

KRISHNAGIRI: Villagers of Yekkalnatham near Veppanahalli here on Saturday threatened to boycott all the elections until their long-pending demand for a tar road was fulfilled. To mark their protest, they also hoisted black flags atop their houses.
“We have been demanding for a tar road for more than three decades. But none of the elected representatives have taken any step to get us a proper road,” said M Narayanasami, a villager.
Yekkalnatham is a hillock where more than 200 families reside.The villagers have to travel 5km to reach the plains. “Even in cases of medical emergencies, we are left with no other option but to walk all the way to Veppanahalli,” said T Manoranjitham, another villager.
The villagers had staged several protests in the past demanding proper road facility. However, the district administration is yet to take any step in this regard.
When the villagers decided to boycott the 2014 general elections, officials and politicians had then met them promising to lay tar road. “At that time, the district administration immediately sent two earthmovers to lay a temporary road. But nothing happened on the ground and the earthmovers left the spot after two days,” a villager said.
Both the politicians and the district administration then approached them during the 2016 assembly election. “After that, no one even cared to visit our village,” the villagers lamented.
The villagers said this time they won’t allow even a single candidate, including independents, to campaign in the village. “We are not ready to get disappointed this time. We will not cast our votes in any election until our long-pending demand for a tar road is met.”