Dalit village cut-off from road to development

RAMANATHAPURAM: Cross a water channel, dive if it is raining cats and dogs and slog through the path that would hardly pass for a road and you are there. Welcome to Keela Allikulam located seven km from Sayalkudi where proper transport and health facilities are still a mirage.       A tiny village with a population of 550, mostly Dalits, Keela Allikulam has been longing for a regular bus service. Wading thr- ough Sankaradevan Channel is an everyday affair for the villagers, who otherwise have a second option to reach Sayalkudi - a shortcut covered with bushes formed by Kattu karuvelam (a thorny plant).   But not many women and children would take that route as there have been incidents wherein masked men waylaid women and snatched their valuables. During the rains, water level in the channel is almost neck-deep. So children refuse to go to school or do not reach on time and eventually quit learning. Like the transportation problems, health facilities in the village are in shambles. There is no primary health centre to attend to emergency cases. Most often patients have to be taken to Sayalkudi by auto for exorbitant fares. Forget health, even grocery items are not easy to get. Villagers have to walk at least two km to procure essential commodities from the PDS shop at Usilankulam. The villagers have been urging the government to establish a PDS shop in their village itself, but so far nothing has happened.“Reaching school itself is a big ordeal. It is located far from the village. After a point, I had to discontinue studies due to family problems,” said Valarmathi, a Keela Allikulam resident. A regular bus service would at least help other students to attend the school properly, she added.Most of the villagers depend on agriculture for livelihood. They climb palm trees for six months to sell palm juice. The village is fully dependant on the Cauvery water for drinking purposes, while oorani water is used for other chores.“Life here is pathetic. Even a good hospital is not present in the vicinity. We have to put up with all the problems as there is no other option,” Ramakrishnan said.Sathaiah, Director of the Rural Workers’ Development Society, said the residents have been seeking basic facilities for the last several years. At least a bridge should be constructed across the Sankaradevan Channel to reach Sayalkudi safely during the rainy season. The director added that his society had identified some dropouts in the village and were making efforts to readmit them in schools.