Kerala steps in to aid remote Vettivittakadu tribal hamlet
Kerala's tribal development department intervenes to improve access and amenities at Vettivittakadu hamlet in Thrissur, where 38 residents face health-care and infrastructure challenges.
The Department of Development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes has intervened to tackle long-standing infrastructure and health-care access problems at Vettivittakadu, a tribal hamlet in Athirappilly grama panchayat, Thrissur. The settlement is home to 38 residents, including 11 Muthuvan families.
Reaching Vettivittakadu is arduous. From Chalakudy, the journey involves about 88 km to Malakkappara, another 18 km through Tamil Nadu, and a final stretch of nearly four km on foot. With no motorable road, patients in need of urgent medical care are often carried on makeshift stretchers to a point where vehicles can reach.
The department acted recently after Kumar, 33, son of Chinnapparaj, fell ill on Saturday evening. The Malakkappara outpatient clinic provided immediate assistance, and an ambulance was used on Sunday morning to bring him down from the hamlet. He was then taken to the Government Medical College Hospital, Thrissur, for specialised treatment. His condition has since improved.
Previous attempts to build a road to the hamlet were abandoned due to high estimated costs. The department is now assessing the feasibility of cutting and improving a footpath to make the route accessible up to the point where vehicles can reach.
On basic amenities, a proposal to construct toilets under the corpus fund was presented before the working group last month. The Athirappilly grama panchayat has told the department that available funds are inadequate, as each toilet is estimated to cost around ₹5 lakh. The district-level committee has decided to examine two or three detailed proposals and proceed based on feasibility and available funds.
Minister for Development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes K.A. Thulasi said further steps were being taken in coordination with the concerned departments and the local body to ensure basic infrastructure and emergency health-care facilities for the residents of Vettivittakadu.