Visakhapatnam: Residents of hilltop Neredu Bandha in Chimalapadu panchayat of Ravikamatham mandal in Anakapalli district have sought establishment of a special medical camp in their village to deal with the rising cases of fever among children.

At least 13 kids are suffering from fever in this difficult-to-access village belonging to Kondu tribals, one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the agency area. One of the children, Kilo Prabhas, had to be shifted to the Narsipatnam Area Hospital for treatment.

There is no ASHA worker or Anganwadi centre available in the area, leaving the children vulnerable to untreated illnesses. Apart from the medical camp, concerned villagers have sought anti-mosquito spraying in the village, as they feel the fever among children is due to malaria.

It is said officials declined to do so, citing that the village is not listed in revenue records. Such lack of preventive measures has raised fears among residents about the worsening health conditions.

Among the children reported ill during the past three days are Pangi Abhishek, Killo Sundar Rao, Dippala Shivaji, Killo Kamala Sedari, Ratnam Pangi Sai, Golluru Bhaskara Rao, Pangi Ankita, Sedari Rusa, Sedari Banji Babu, Dippala Vishnu, and Pangi Vasantha.

Local tribal leaders, including Tribal Association president Pangi Chandrayya and PVTG Association president Gemili Vasu, have urged the state government to take immediate action and set up a medical camp in the Neredu Bandha village.

They warned that they would otherwise stage a protest at the Primary Health Centre.

Pahalgam Terror Attack: With India grieving the loss of lives in the Pahalgam terror attack and the world expressing their condolences, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a stern message to Pakistan, terrorists and the world that India won’t bow down to terrorism. Addressing a rally in Bihar, Prime Minister Modi said that India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers responsible for the attack in Pahalgam. PM Modi said that the punishment will be ‘beyond their imagination’.

“Today, from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world that India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished,” Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi, in his first public remarks after the terror attack in Baisaran in Pahalgam that left at least 26 persons dead on Tuesday, said that every effort will be made to ensure that justice is served.

“Everyone who believes in humanity is with us. I thank the people of various countries and the leaders who have stood with us in these times,” the Prime Minister said in his brief remarks in English.

Modi asserted that the terrorists who carried out the attack and its planners will be ‘punished beyond their imagination’. He said the enemies of the country have dared to attack the soul of India.

Tensions are soaring between India and Pakistan with the two nations taking measures against each other. While India has suspended the Indus water treaty and SAARC visas for Pakistanis, Islamabad has shut its airspace for India while also suspending third-party trade connecting India.

CPI(M) district secretariat member K. Govinda Rao said the tribal people have decided to stage a protest with ‘dolis’ at the Primary Health Centre. File
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

As many as 13 children are suffering from fever for the past few days at Neredubandha, a hilltop tribal hamlet of Cheemalapadu panchayat of Ravikamatham mandal in Ankapalli district, in Andhra Pradesh.

Girijan Sangham leaders have sought immediate visit by district-level officials and holding of a health camp to treat the children.

The tribal people say that there are 14 tribal families, belonging to the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) ‘Kondh’ tribe, who have been living there since long. Children have been suffering with fever for the past three days. The village has no ASHA worker or an Anganwadi Centre. The children have to trek 6 km every day to reach their school at Z. Zogumpeta and back. They said that one of the children Killo Prabhas was already admitted to the Area Hospital at Narsipatnam while the remaining were suffering with fever in the village.

The officials have not undertaken malathion spraying in the hamlet on the plea that the name of the village is not in their records, say Pangi Chandrayya, Girijan Sangham district president, PVTG Sangham president Gemili Vasu. This was resulting in the proliferation of mosquitoes and spread of viral fevers.

CPI(M) district secretariat member K. Govinda Rao said the tribal people have decided to stage a protest with ‘dolis’ at the Primary Health Centre (PHC), if a medical camp was not organised in the village by the end of this week. He appealed to the Collector to visit the village and do justice to the people.