Dr Mohinder Kumar
Shiva is hilly, rain-fed, un-irrigated and dry village located in Ghat block of Doda district, 15 km from Doda city. Shiva village comes under ‘Patwar Halqa’ Shiva, having two Gram Panchayats: Sharerna Panchayat (11 villages); and Shiva Panchayat (six villages).
Except maize and grass grown in rainy season, Shiva has no other crop to grow and survive against plethora of problems faced by the villagers. Total area of village is 1000 acres, of which common land is maximum 625 acres (63%) and agricultural land 375 acres (37%). Average size of owned-holding is 1.63 acres per farm household. A village of population 1400 with 230 households -all doing farming -mainly survives on common land distributed by Gram Panchayat. Average size of common land is 2.72 acres per household. Households used common land to the extent of 80% to build house and used 20% for cultivation since there is no irrigation; more and more land is required to feed family members due to low productivity without irrigation. Common land is used to grow grass and maize in rainy season though rains are also scanty and below normal. Farmers could not grow wheat because of absence of irrigation facility. For food-grains they are totally dependent on market and ration store. Inter-village politics against Shiva has led to a situation wherein Shiva does not get water supply from ‘nallah’. In 2013, most of maize crop was destroyed due to less rain. Without irrigation even grass cultivation is not normal. Therefore, without adequate grass it is not possible to rear bullocks to plough land. Land is cultivated using hired tractor which the farmers cannot afford.
Village Weekly
PROBLEMS
Major problems of Shiva are related to basic facilities, viz., (i) water for irrigation; safe drinking water; (iii) diseases and infections; (iv) electricity supply; (v) road connectivity; (vi) means of transport; (vii) livelihoods and employment; (viii) faulty implementation of MNREGA; and (ix) school. Villagers do not find necessary means and resources at their disposal to solve those problems related to public utilities. In inter-village politics too Shiva is laggard even as neighboring village has not allowed Shiva to get its due share of “kool” (canal) water for irrigation and drinking.
WATER FOR IRRIGATION
First and foremost, farmers of hilly village Shiva demand water for irrigation even as they depend on rain predominantly for rain-fed farming. Such is scarcity of water that they could not grow any major crop on otherwise fertile land except maize and grass. They are devoid of water for irrigation as life line. Over 20 years ago in 1982 “Shiva Canal Project” for construction of “pucca kool” was started by the State Government. Water for the proposed 40 km canal was to be sourced from ‘Neeru Nallah’ in Bhaderwah block. However, suddenly work on the project was stopped after constructing 35 km length of ‘pucca’ canal. Entire money invested on project had gone waste. Thousands of farmers in the two blocks (Ghat, Bhaderwah) had volunteered and donated their lands for this public project. Farmers of Shiva approached the authorities and registered complaint against stopping work on this prestigious and useful project. Basically earlier they approached authorities to complain against poor quality of work and sub-standard materials being used for the construction. The issue was also raised in State Legislature Assembly. There has been no solution so far. Villagers demand and expect that negative politics should not be allowed to hijack and dismantle this irrigation project as they desperately need water for fields.
SAFE DRINKING WATER
Villagers are desperate and face acute shortage of safe drinking water and have no clue about how to get their basic requirement of safe drinking water fulfilled. For the past five years since 2010 they have made lot of efforts including political. A team of villagers was constituted that visited Delhi with cost borne by villagers themselves (Rs.50 to 100 by each) to get access to drinking water facility. They reported vaguely that “the issue was raised in Delhi”. But it bore no result. Six years ago in 2009 villagers were promised a water supply scheme (WSS) called “Sharekhi to Shiva WSS”. But there is still no action on that. Later they were assured of “Maloti to Shiva WSS” which is still under construction. Thereafter villagers were promised “Berdu to Shiva WSS” in 2013. They feel that this latest assurance would also turn out a shallow promise without concrete action. Negative politics against Shiva is doing harm to the provision of basic amenities, affecting 1400 population.
Harmful implications
Village is bound to have harmful implications of unsafe drinking water. Villagers have ailments of stomach. Maximum number of persons in the village suffers from infection in stomach. A youth had to undergo operation of stomach. Diseases like acute pain in stomach, loose motion, diarrhea, etc. are common in the village due to unsafe drinking water supplied through pipes from the only single ‘nallah’ which is not only deficit in water but also inflicted with impurities and pollution caused partly by villagers. However, Shiva is compelled and constrained due to lack of alternative sources of water. Its land is fertile but without water it is waste. Villagers reported that land of Shiva is so fertile that its wheat production in full irrigation conditions can take care of food requirement of entire Doda city for full year. Doda city can be viewed from hill top of Shiva. Water politics between villages, particularly against Shiva has kept this village artificially backward.
SUB-POWER HOUSE, ELECTRIC METERS
Power supply to Shiva village is almost regular like in Doda city. However, there are other contingent problems and demands of villagers. Hitherto there exists direct line from Doda city powerhouse to Shiva (10 km). There is need for a sub-power house in Shiva. In case of defect in line in the forest area due to winds, storm or rain, it would take at least ten days for rectification of fault and repair. Finding lineman is itself a difficulty in the village. Since 2011 villagers are also demanding electric meter to be installed in all households, without which they are paying electric bill of Rs.360 per month at flat rate. All households pay bill properly and regularly but oppose flat rate system. Electric meters were installed some time ago in few select households though other households also demand meters so as to pay cost as per use.
LINK ROAD
For the past five-six years, a four kilometer portion of link road from Shiva to ‘Pul Doda’ (13 km) is still ‘kutcha’ despite taken up for construction under PMGSY scheme. During rain this road becomes totally muddy and is not motorable. The other nine kilometer portion of the road was constructed into ‘pucca’ road with macadam during the previous election period. Villagers expect that four km portion would be similarly constructed in next election. It is yet to be ascertained whether this portion was constructed later Nevertheless state of all services and public amenities including link road is in bad shape in Shiva.
SURVIVAL BY GOVERNMENT JOBS
In Shiva 80% households have at least one person in Government job (maximum four persons). Around 20% households are pure wage-laborers who migrate to Laddakh, Shimla, Doda city and some youth in MNREGA. This is how they are able to survive economically.
Nonetheless orientation of youth in village is totally towards service or wage-labor. Under such conditions (associated with no water source for irrigation), there is no scope for rural industry or non-farm sector activities. Farming is already rain-fed subsistence-based activity with very low productivity of mono crop maize and at the most grass. Villagers do not have alternative model of self employment or small livelihood for other members of the family. It requires village level planning and mechanisms to enhance the scope of self-employment opportunities for unemployed youth. Youth are now getting more and more attracted towards MNREGA that is already suffering from fund shortage problem.
DISINTERESTED JOB CARD HOLDERS
Mostly those youth are able to get Job Cards under MNREGA who are already resourceful and powerful. Entire village structure is based on class division: 80% households are relatively “rich” and “prosperous” (by local standard) by virtue of having one or more members as Government permanent employees; 20% households are pure wage-laborer households who prefer to migrate to Leh, Laddakh, Shimla, Doda city and outside. Supply of wage-laborers within village is limited. Above all this class of educated youth is disinterested in wage-labor under MNREGA where wage-rate is reported to be Rs.131 per day (August 2013). In such conditions, implementation of MNREGA is expected to have special significance in the village. Some Job Card holder youth are disinterested in working under MNREGA. There is acute shortage of wage-labor in village, but mostly artificially created. Contractors (themselves Job Card holders) manage to get laborers from outside. Real laborers who are poor and cannot get Job-Card issued by Gram Panchayat, are compelled to hire Job Card from other youth in the village, and in this way they find work under MNREGA.
The situation is same in entire Doda district; each work is under vigilance. It was also reported during survey that in Bhaderwah tehsil a court-notice has been issued to RDD under MNREGA related to works implemented. Shiva represented the case which has actual shortage of wage-laborers. In such conditions implementation of MNREGA is not acting as a means of livelihoods for ‘real laborers’. Villagers reported that over years MNREGA is rendered as mechanism of making money as if it is business. Implementation of MNREGA in Shiva desired social audit of completed works, including implementation process, to assess its impact on people’s life in village.
SCHOOLS, CLASSROOMS
Shiva village with 230 households and population of 1400 has one Government primary school for girls and one higher secondary school. It has two private middle schools operating in rented building. Parents demand improved standard of teaching in schools and infrastructure like more classrooms.
Primary school for girls has 80 children and five classes though only two rooms. Remaining three classes are conducted in open ground. Rainy day is holiday (without notice). This state affects classroom teaching. In higher secondary school (6th to 12th class) there are 226 children in seven classes but only four rooms. Additional three rooms are needed in the school.
Shiva is vulnerable though it survives without water, without basic facilities and without political strength -partly on strength of permanent Government jobs of family members. Water scarcity is the Achilles Heel of Shiva.
(Author works for NABARD.
Feed back to the author @mohinder1996@gmail.com
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