By: K. M. Dayashankar
This village tucked away in the upland Koheda mandal came into focus a decade ago when the villagers pledged to donate their eyes for the visually challenged.
Similarly, this village is the first in the united Andhra Pradesh to win the Nirmal Puraskar from the then President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2004-05 for hundred per cent sanitation. This tiny village was visited by representatives from more than 70 countries, including USA and several civil servants had also visited the village for its developmental programmes taken up by involving the villagers.
Movement for eye donation and sanitation was launched by sarpanch Vakulabaranam Bhanu Prakash in 2001 after his election. Initially, the villagers were reluctant to pledge their eyes, but following the motivation, they all agreed and so far more than 22 persons had donated their eye which were collected by the Lions Eye Hospital in Karimnagar.
This village had shown the way to other villages on how to utilise government schemes and take up developmental works. The village does not have drainage system and all the water generated from each house is diverted to the plants, which were planted by the villagers in each house.
It is the first village in the State to construct sub-surface dyke on the Moyathummeda rivulet and solve drinking water problem by constructing two over head tanks.
All the houses have smokeless chullas, cent per cent plantation in each house. Each house is having latrine and toilet along with tap water facilities. There are no huts in the village.
Bhanu Prakash during his two terms tenure as sarpanch completely transformed the village and won accolades throughout the country. He constituted a cabinet in the village and allocated powers for discharging various duties.
The village is having a population of 2100 including 33 per cent SCs and 500 families. There is a cent per cent institutional delivery, no school drop out and 100 per cent repayment of loans by the women SHGs. He said that he had done all the developmental works only to be remembered forever and emerge as role model. Present sarpanch Vani said that they were now focussing on construction of drains and CC roads in entire village. Kausalya, an elderly person of the village proudly says that they have all facilities in the village and there was no problem for drinking water.
Source; The Hindu