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Obulapuram's irony lies in iron ore

Rich in poverty
Last Updated 08 September 2011, 18:11 IST
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The company dug out wealth in tonnes, but the village that it was named after, suffers in abject poverty to this day.

The company carried out rapacious assault on the backyard of the village for its resources, but didn’t spill a speck of its wealth for the development of the village.

Obulapuram can neither take credit for the abundance that Reddy flaunted nor for the criminal activities he is accused of.

Kannadigas at heart

The village, which is just 17 kms away from Bellary, is a picture in stark contrast with no drinking water facilities or motorable roads.

The residents live in thatched huts and lack basic infrastructure facilities.

Obulapuram in Hirehala Mandal in Raidurg taluk, Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, has a majority of Kannada-speaking people. The village has a Kannada Primary School and the residents share a strong cultural bond with Karnataka.

The village on Bellary-Bangalore Road has a dilapidated railway station, but has only one or two trains passing through the village.

It has been neglected by the Andhra Pradesh government and does not get any facilities from the Karnataka government.

No job, no land

When the mining operations began, a few residents were employed in transporting ore. But now that the mining activities have been halted, even those few residents have lost jobs.

“Despite naming their company after our village, Janardhana Reddy, Srinivasa Reddy and Raidurg legislator Ramachandra Reddy have done nothing for its progress,” says a resident.

“Even the cronies of Reddy have become rich now, but the residents of this village continue to remain poor,” he said.

Having lost their jobs, now they can’t even cultivate their lands as mine dust has destroyed them.

Even if they restore the health of the soil, they don’t have irrigation facilities. Women and men of the village commute to Bellary for daily wages.

A woman in the village said: “We only share the shame that has been attached with Obulapuram, nothing else.”

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(Published 08 September 2011, 18:11 IST)

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