Hebri, March 15: Several villagers who come under the Madamakki Grama Panchayat staged a protest against the district administration for failing in its promise to provide for proper roads and mobile network connectivity besides other basic infrastructure facilities and warned of boycotting the forthcoming elections to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Villagers of the Madamakki GP said they had sought details of the survey and had asked for a map from the revenue and forest departments but they had not got any reply so far.

 

Villagers also demanded that DC Kurma Rao should visit the village and solve their problems and warned of boycotting the forthcoming elections if he failed to listen to their woes.

 

Villagers charged that Kuntamakki, Kaarimane, Hanja and Yedamale are some of the villages under the Madamakki GP that have no mobile network connectivity for the last 10 years leading to difficulties among the students who are cut-off from the outside world.

Villages are deprived of good roads as only two-wheelers can traverse on the muddy terrain that exists and the roads have been crying for repairs. During the monsoon, villages are cut off from the outside world. Even ambulances or other vehicles cannot enter these villages.

Villagers also lament that their villages lack sewage facilities and primary health centres.Villagers have put up banners and flexes stating that they would boycott the elections after staging protests. Hebri Taluk Panchayat executive officer Shashidhar K G visited the spot and held discussions with the villagers with the assurance of solving their woes.

Villagers were hopeful that their woes would be looked into by the officials and that they would remove the banners that they have put up but they were disappointed over the inaction of the district administration forcing them to renew their pledge to boycott the elections.

Naveen Shetty Madamakki, a villager, said all the deadlines given by the officials have been missed. "We have lost faith in getting things done and so we have decided to boycott the elections. We have been putting forth our demands since the last four decades but so far no official or people's representative has responded to us positively. Movement of vehicular traffic during monsoon, health issues and lack of mobile network connectivity have all come as a curse to the villagers living in the region. Officials and politicians should avoid visiting our villages or giving us false promises. If possible please provide basic infrastructure facilities to us is all that we ask now," he said.