Appacchu Ranjan visits Kotnalli.
Kothnalli is a non descript village in Somwarpet taluk. The village was in a festive mood to welcome MLA Appacchu Ranjan, who as part of his village stay programme visited the village and listened to the woes of the villagers and stayed in a house.
The village with a population of 400 is mainly dependent on agriculture for livelihood.
They grow coffee, cardamom and paddy. Even with the region receiving heavy rainfall, the villagers continued to be haunted by the acute shortage of water during summer.
The villagers are yet to get electricity connection and the roads need to be developed.
The villagers accorded a warm welcome to the MLA. He was taken out in a procession for two kilometres. The MLA stayed in the house of D S Poovaiah.
The residents poured their woes in connection with the lack of electricity supply, acute shortage of drinking water and lack of maintenance of road.
Villagers said that the electricity connection was given to the village under Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme. However, there is disruption in power supply. “We are finding it difficult to carry out our activities in the evening,” they said. This village, which did not have streetlights, sudden had tube lights lighting up the streets. A day before MLA visited the village, Chescom officials visited the village and installed the street lights.
The MLA should visit the villages at least once a month to make the officials work, said the villagers adding that there is no bus facility. A private bus plies to the village in the morning and evening. The villagers are forced to walk for several kilometres. The KSRTC bus should be introduced, they demanded.
Welcome move
The MLA said that villagers from various parts of the district are inviting him to visit their village. To a query, he said that he will visit villages in Madikeri taluk as well.
Poovaiah said “I am very happy that the MLA stayed in my house. We had prepared rice, sambar, beans curry, and payasam for the MLA. In the morning, Chow-chow bath was given to the MLA.”
To a query on what was his demand, he said “my son who is working as driver in Bangalore needs a job. At the same time, my daughter, who is studying BBM needs job too.”
source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District /
Srikanth Kallammanavar, Kothnalli (Somwarpet), May 1 2012, DHNS:
