Tribal Villagers Stage Protest, Demand Mobile Tower in P. Kotnabelli

Residents of P. Kotnabelli village in Ravikamatham mandal protested on Thursday, demanding the installation of a mobile tower to ensure reliable network connectivity. They said the lack of signal makes accessing government services difficult.

Around 70 families live in the village. Villagers said they walk nearly half a kilometre to reach a spot with mobile signal for biometric verification of ration rice. Anganwadi children also travel long distances to complete facial authentication through the Face App.

Under the VB-G Ram G scheme, workers now mark their attendance using facial recognition on the Face App. Earlier, they used offline muster rolls. CPI leader K. Govind, who joined the protest, said workers cannot complete verification due to the poor signal. This blocks them from getting employment under the scheme.

Govind added that neighbouring villages, including Ramannadorapalem, K. Kotnabelli, and K. Gadabhapalem, face the same problem. He urged the government to install a mobile tower to improve connectivity and access to welfare programs.

Villagers also complained about the Ajjapuram village secretariat, located nearly seven kilometres away. They said the absence of a Digital Assistant delays services such as caste and birth certificates and ration card updates. “We walk long distances for basic services, but without proper digital support, our problems remain unresolved,” one villager said.

The protest ended peacefully. Villagers appealed to authorities for urgent action, stressing that mobile connectivity is essential for education, employment, and government services in their remote hamlet.