M. Duraisamy, a tribal leader in the Kurumalai hills, said they feel helpless as they watch their children trek through the forests to get to school | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Tribals are at the heart of the Anaicut Assembly constitution, which includes hills like Peenjamanthai, Jarthankollai, Kurumalai and Palampattu in the Jawadhu Hills of Vellore district. Basic civic needs like tarmac roads, water supply, electricity connection and government hospitals still remain a distant dream for the hill dwellers.
Anaicut assembly seat was established in 1977 and covers more than 70 agricultural and tribal villages, mostly in the hills, which fall under Vellore and Anaicut panchayat unions. Residents of many tribal villages in these hills have to walk on muddy paths to reach towns and villages on the plains. “A proper bitumen road is a prerequisite for other basic amenities like water supply, electricity connection and trade at a fair price. The raw materials for building these amenities could be transported only when there is a proper road,” said M. Annamalai, president of Athiyur village panchayat.
Published – 10 Apr 2026 0:34 IST
