A month after torrential rains tore through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), two remote tribal hamlets in Erode district remain completely isolated, with nearly 30 school-going children unable to attend classes.

Vilankombai and Kembanur — home to around 60 Urali tribal families — have been cut off since the downpour devastated the four low-level causeways across streams feeding the Gunderipallam reservoir.

These causeways form the only access route to government schools in Vinoba Nagar and Kongarpalayam, 7 km and 10 km away respectively. With roads washed out and mobility halted, education, healthcare, and even ration supply have collapsed.

The school vehicle operating under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan’s Transport and Escort Services scheme last reached the hamlets on October 7, 2025. Since then, children have remained at home, with no way to reach their classrooms.

“From October to January, when rains intensify, the school vehicle simply cannot ply. Children are forced to stay home year after year,” said S C Natraj, Director of the Sathyamangalam-based NGO SUDAR.

With repairs unlikely anytime soon, residents are once again demanding a permanent, alternative access route — a plea they say has echoed for generations. V P Gunasekaran, State Committee Member of the Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association, said Tiruppur MP K. Subbarayan, after visiting the hamlets recently, petitioned District Collector S Kandasamy to create a new link road.

For villagers, the situation is not just about losing access — it is about survival.

“The problem repeats every year. Walking 7 km through dense forest full of wild animals is dangerous,” said Maadhan, a resident. “We only hope the alternative road becomes a reality in our lifetime so our children can remain connected to the outside world.”

Gunasekaran stressed that the 4-km Kavalur–Pellathur footpath must be upgraded into a motorable road with a bridge across the stream to ensure a lasting solution.

He urged the district administration to act “on a war footing” before another monsoon season pushes the communities deeper into isolation.