As families migrate, Erode hamlet without roads or power left with only one student

The absence of motorable roads, electricity, and stable income sources has driven most families from a remote hamlet to migrate to the plains, leaving behind only one boy studying at the Panchayat Union Middle School in Malliamman Durgham. The village, nestled deep inside the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode’s Kadambur Hills, currently has just one teacher posted at the school.

In the 2024-25 academic year, eight students were enrolled in Classes 1 to 8. However, six of them obtained transfer certificates (TCs) after their families relocated to work in sugarcane fields. Of these, two girls were admitted to the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and are now staying in hostels. In the current academic year, one of the two remaining students also left the school after obtaining a TC.

A temporary staff member was posted at the beginning of the academic year, and a permanent teacher was appointed two weeks ago.

Poor accessibility

The village is accessible only after a two-hour journey by pick-up van along a rugged nine-kilometre path from Kadambur. Of the original 159 families (636 individuals), fewer than 40 now remain in the hamlet. The residents, all belonging to the Malayali Gounder community, rely solely on millet cultivation for subsistence.

“There is no income here, and the solar lighting systems installed in 2018 have long stopped working. Only kerosene lanterns light our homes,” said C. Kaliappan, a resident.

M.K. Subramani, the hamlet’s first graduate, said most families had migrated to Sathyamangalam in search of jobs and educational opportunities for their children, returning only during festivals. “To prevent further migration and the complete abandonment of the hamlet, road connectivity and electricity must be provided immediately,” he urged.

No power

The village has remained largely disconnected since Independence, with only brief access to electricity in 1972 and a short-lived solar lighting initiative in 2018. A hero stone with an inscription found in the area indicates that the hamlet was once part of the Vijayanagar Empire in the 14^th century.

A senior official at the District Educational Office, Gobichettipalayam, told The Hindu a team would soon visit the hamlet to verify whether any other children are not attending school. “If so, they will be enrolled,” the official said.