Visakhapatnam : The villagers of Pasini, a tribal village in the ASR district, have taken to protesting to demand the resumption of construction work on an incomplete gravel road that connects their village to Marrivalasa.

In 2020-21, ₹60 lakh were allocated under the MGNREGA scheme for constructing a 1.4 km long gravel road from Marrivalasa to Pasini.

Additionally, ₹1 lakh was sanctioned from educational infrastructure funds. Despite these allocations, the construction remains unfinished.

Only preliminary leveling and laying of gravel were completed, with no rolling done and culverts left incomplete. Villagers allege that the contractor fraudulently claimed ₹39 lakh by submitting inflated bills for the partial work.

The incomplete road has become a significant issue for the villagers, especially during the rainy season when it becomes nearly impassable.

This has resulted in delays in accessing essential services such as healthcare, education, and transportation.

"We are facing severe hardships due to the incomplete road. It is unacceptable that our basic infrastructure needs are neglected," said village elders Dola Sanyasi, Kotaparti Ramayya, and D Jogulu.

They further demanded a thorough investigation into the role of tribal welfare engineer S. Srinivasa Rao, who recommended the payment of bills for the incomplete work.

The villagers are calling on the government to immediately resume the road construction and take strict action against the contractor responsible for the fraudulent billing.

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