Visakhapatnam: There is no school for the children in Littiguda village under Pedalabudu panchayat of Araku Valley which was adopted by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
In last year , AP CM announced that the village he was selecting would be `smart’ not in terms of technology rather we will prefer standard of living which covers basic facilities such as education, livelihood,hygiene, Mee Seva, health, promoting LED lights, water conservation, soil testing,solar power, greenery, bank accounts for every family and with significance on happiness through joint efforts.
Opposition parties particularly the Left leaders remarks that selecting this far away village, Pedalabudu panchayat has vast deposits of bauxite and the Chief Minister had secret behind to silence the innocent tribals, who have been opposing mining all along.
The government made a policy to close the schools having strength less than 20 students and enrol them in nearby schools. The MPP Elementary School was closed soon after the Chief Minister announced adoption and the children were asked to walk 2 kilometres to reach the new school.
CPM district secretary LK Lokanadham who pay a visit said that “it is inhuman to ask the children to risk their lives The two-kilometre stretch has some canals which overflow during the rainy season.” The village has rains for six months beginning with Southwest Monsoon and continues until Northeast Monsoon withdraws in December. .
On Monday, most of the students from Littiguda came to the city and protest in front of the Collectorate demanding reopening of the school, under the aegis of Girijana Sangham.
Lokanadham told that since last year children are not going to school soon it closed .
Government is not serious about increasing the literacy rate in the village said the District president of the Sangham K Surendra said the . The literacy rate was just 4 per cent in 1970 and increased to 40 per cent in 2011 due to Anganwadis, primary schools and residential schools.