World · India Bureau
Andhra Tribal Woman Walks 7km With Sick Child as Road Project Stalls
A mother in Andhra Pradesh was forced to carry her ailing daughter 7 kilometres on foot to reach medical care after a sanctioned road project remained incomplete for years. The delay in construction has left remote tribal communities without basic connectivity to essential services.
LSN India ·
A tribal mother in Andhra Pradesh undertook an arduous seven-kilometre trek carrying her sick daughter to a hospital after no roads existed to connect their village to medical facilities. The incident highlights how infrastructure delays have left vulnerable communities in the state's remote regions without access to emergency healthcare.
The road project, sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) scheme eight years ago with a budget allocation of Rs 4.90 crore, has remained incomplete. Construction activities halted after forest clearance permits expired, leaving the project in limbo and stranding residents of the tribal settlement without connectivity.
The situation underscores a broader challenge facing India's rural development agenda, where many sanctioned infrastructure projects remain stuck due to environmental clearances, bureaucratic delays, and resource constraints. Communities dependent on these roads face compounded hardships, particularly during health emergencies when timely access to hospitals becomes critical.
The incomplete road project raises questions about project monitoring mechanisms and the impact of regulatory delays on ground-level service delivery. Officials have not announced a clear timeline for resuming construction or securing the necessary environmental clearances to complete the road connection.