When Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded in December 2016 to a letter by young Namana G. two months after she wrote to him appealing for better facilities such as roads, a school, health services and phone connectivity for her village, senior leaders and officers swiftly reached Alekhan Horatti and swung into action. But two and a half years after they interacted with villagers and conducted surveys for roadwork, nothing has changed.
Ms. Namana, who appeared recently for her II pre-university exam, was instrumental in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) directing the Chikkamagaluru Zilla Panchayat and other agencies to look into her complaint. The Hindu carried a report on this in December 2016.
On Thursday, this correspondent returned to Alekhan Horatti to see if the problems that Ms. Namana highlighted had been solved.
Alekhan Horatti, nestled in the Charmadi Ghats about 25 km from Mudigere town, has no connectivity to the world outside. There is a narrow road, about 8 ft. wide, but it’s not motorable. Even two-wheelers have difficulty negotiating the route to the village, leaving its residents to hike 4 km on foot to reach the Mudigere-Mangaluru Road. Vokkaligas and Malekudiyas, a tribal community, live in the about 35 houses here, tending to coffee plantations spread over three to eight acres.