Tribal dance and music welcomed the district collector of Palakkad K.Ramachandran but what shocked him was the ills plaguing the remote kurumba hamlets in Attappady.The tribal people were living in remote areas without any infrastructure. We do not have roads, drinking water, electricity,public health centers or school. No officials visit us.We have only one anganwadi started recently after the death of eight kurumba infants last year. It is functioning on the side of a small house according to muruga ooru moopan (tribal chief) who narrated their plight to the collector.We live in an isolated world without any amenities though we have learned that crores of rupees had been spent on our welfare. The collector had to walk for two hours through forests crossing a river few times to research the tribal hamlets.He told that his priority would be to provide roads to these hamletss so that other infrastructure such as power and water supply,schools, health centres and ration shops will be in place. Four small bridges would have to be constructed to reach the area . These development schemes could be taken up under the kurumba package for which Rs 16 crores had been allocated for 19 hamlets in this area. The collector said that not a single developmet work had been taken up in these areas.The tribal people demanded a ration shop near their hamlets There was no medical facilites If some one fell ill they had to be taken through the forest for at least 10 km