Munnar: In a bizarre directive,  the residents of Edamalakkudy have been asked to walk over 20 kilometres to collect their ration supplies as transporters suspended services to the settlement due to non-payment of dues for the past 34 months.

Devikulam Taluk Supply Officer R Sanjay Nath issued a letter to the panchayat president directing tribal residents to collect ration from the civil supplies godown in Pettimudy. The officer cited the reasons of refusal of transporters to continue distribution without their long-pending transportation fees and the current heavy rainfall, which makes supply via alternate vehicles unfeasible.

The directive comes as a severe blow to the tribal community. Societykudy, the administrative centre of the Edamalakkudy tribal panchayat, lies 16 km from Pettimudy. Many settlements within the panchayat are located 3 to 12 km further into the forest, making the trek to Pettimudy an arduous and often dangerous journey, especially now, as swollen rivers and muddy trails make travel nearly impossible.

In previous years, ration shops at Parappayar and Societykudy were stocked in advance with supplies for up to four months ahead of the monsoon. But this year, the transportation deadlock has disrupted even that arrangement, leaving the community in distress.