The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Up there, standard of living is not high

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 16, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Up there, standard of living is not high

Staff Reporter

With the City of Destiny turning into a concrete jungle as an offshoot of urbanisation, the rural people who made a beeline for Visakhapatnam in search of work have made several hillocks their home.

The trend began with the construction of the gigantic Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in the 70s and several people engaged by the contractors as daily-wage workers occupied space and built ramshackle dwellings atop Dasamikonda and Simhagirikonda in the Gajuwaka area.

When construction activity gained momentum with the setting up of some more mega industries and downstream and ancillary units, 20,000 to 30,000 workers with a meagre income for a decent living, occupied Srinagarkonda in Srinagar Colony and nearby hillocks in Malkapuram.

Daily grind

According to an estimate, people for whom the hillocks have become abode have crossed one lakh. Without power and drainage facility, these people used to carry drinking water in pots from the foothills to their homes for consumption.

However, it’s a different story that due to vote-bank politics of various parties, instead of giving them alternative sites, their occupation of land was regularised with the issuance of pattas at several places. In some hillocks, drinking water supply pipelines were laid.

“Though we have no alternative, the authorities should come to our rescue in improving out living conditions,” says Vimala who works as a maid servant in three households in MVP Colony and earns about Rs.1,200 a month.

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