DHARMAPURI: Residents of Alakattu hill village under Vattuvanalli panchayat in Dharmapuri district lack road facilities. Their repeated appeals for road connectivity have gone unanswered, leaving them to rely on dangerous footpaths through forests and hills whenever emergencies arise. The village, home to 40 families and 151 people, has been struggling for generations without proper road connectivity.In the early hours Monday, a woman named Mallika suffered severe abdominal pain. With no road or vehicle access, the villagers carried her in a doli (cradle) nearly eight kilometres on rugged footpaths before reaching a point where a vehicle could take her to hospital.Heavy rain over the past two days had worsened conditions, causing flash floods in the forest and soil erosion along the hill tracks.“We have been pleading for a road for decades. Our lives are at risk every time there is a medical emergency,” said K Surya, a resident. R Selvi, another resident, added, “Last year, a woman bitten by a snake died halfway while being carried down the hill. How many more lives must be lost before authorities act?”“We are cut off from the world. Even basic healthcare is beyond our reach. A simple road could save lives,” G Rajamani, an elderly villager, said.
