Dr. Mohinder Kumar
Lassipora is located at a distance of 3 km from Sogam and 80 km from Kupwara city. It is hilly village surrounded by forests. Forest wood is abundant even as each household can access and collect small fuel wood. Agricultural land of Lassipora is situated adjacent to Sogam lands. Ponds of Sogam are irrigating the lands of Lassipora also. A distinguishing feature of Lassipora is its ponds. This culture of ponds is rarely found in other villages of J&K State.
Total area of village is 833 acres, of which common land is 63 acres (8%), agricultural land 250 acres (30%), and rest of the area is waste land of 520 acres (62%) having ponds, forests, pastures, etc. Average size of holding is 0.71 acre. Lassipora has 350 households with population of 3500. Social composition is mix of Gurjar and Kashmiri Muslims. Farmers cultivate paddy and vegetables for subsistence. Each household has 10-20 mulberry trees for sericulture. Literacy rate is 25%. Villagers are now aware about importance of education and demand facilities in view of the fact that Mr.Faisal Shah, topper in Indian Civil Service examination (2012/13), hails from Sogam, adjoining Lassipora.
Villagers give top priority to ration card for survival. Around 150 households are “new chulhas” added to demography during past 10-12 years though desperately need ration cards. In contrast, 150 households which were distributed KCC form refused to get KCC, since not very keen. They fear bank loan. Out of 200 households which filled KCC forms, only 60 received KCC and only four-five households were given KCC loan by banks, with fixed limit of Rs.20000 to 50000. J&K Bank wants third party guarantee of government serviceman for KCC loan.
Lassipora has over 1500 youths. Around 40 youths are employed in government service. Remaining 1460 youths do casual wage-labor. Even old people up to 65 years age have migrated to Srinagar for wage-labor; 300 persons have migrated to cities. Unemployed youths are absorbed by MNREGA jobs, house construction, road construction, etc. Labor contractors facilitate wage employment and take youths to work sites to work @Rs.200 per day. Financial problem and economic inequality is faced by most households. Servicemen households earn up to Rs. four lakh per year; farm households earn average Rs. forty thousand (walnut or wage-labor). To this meager income may be added cash earned by selling raw silk valued at Rs.18000 to 20000 per year. Farmers spend entire income so that saving is nil. Without accumulation of economic surplus and savings, they remain poor. Major problems of Lassipora relate to basic facilities such as (i) safe drinking water; (ii) power supply; (iii) school; (iv) canal/ pump set; (v) dispensary; (vi) veterinary center; (vii) link road; (viii) bank loan; and (ix) new ration cards.
Villagers demand supply of safe drinking water from piped water supply schemes (WSS), since being supplied unclean and non-filtered water for human consumption. Entire Sogam block does not have proper WSS with filtered and chemically treated drinking water supply system. Villagers provided details of disquieting aspects of two piped water supply schemes which supply drinking water unfit for human consumption as also reveal unfulfilled demands of farmers who had donated agricultural land to district authorities for construction of WSS in lieu of assurances. Main demand of villagers on “Rangrotsar Water Supply Scheme” is that land donator/farmer may be duly provided wages (of operating WSS), secure job and compensation for land as assured. Second WSS is “Gravity Scheme”. It was installed in 2007 on common land. However, villagers do not get clean water; its water source is a bore well installed far down the foothill in village plain land having pump set. Villagers complained that beyond ‘gate-wall’ point, water from both schemes is mixed in a single pipe and supplied. Households have stomach pain and digestion problems; they take medicine almost daily.
Power supply is negligible in winter. Villagers demand more supply of power. Even BDO office in Sogam does not have power supply, particularly needed for computer room. Villagers demand that electricity bill should be issued on monthly basis instead of bi-annual basis, since it is difficult for poor money-savers to arrange money for payment of bill for six months. They are charged fixed amount @Rs.350 per month. They demand electric meters to be installed.
Lassipora has a middle school with five teachers. It needs additional funds; it also needs to admit more students and recruit specialist teachers. For eight classes (I to VIII) total student strength is 45. School has average six students per class. Fund requirement of school in 2013 was assessed as Rs.10 lakh though school administration got only Rs.one lakh for annual budget. School needs extra funds for annual maintenance, constructing boundary wall, floor leveling, science laboratory equipment, three computers, computer laboratory, two classrooms and three specialist teachers (Urdu, Mathematics, Social Science) besides funds for operational expenses like sanitation, teacher support items (chalk, duster, etc.). Each of the eight classes has seven subjects. Considering that 56 classes are to be taken per day, each teacher is allotted 11 periods per day! If number of students increases it shall require more teachers. Hitherto students from different classes are often seated in same class due to shortage of teachers.
Villagers demand adequate stock of medicines and one compounder for dispensary. Hitherto nurse provides consultation service and prescribes medicines to be purchased from market. Nurse is competent to handle cases but due to shortage of medicines patients do not benefit. At the most blood pressure checking service is given or pregnant woman is given odd tablets. Lassipora does not have veterinary center; people go to Sogam block headquarter walking 3 km to get treatment for livestock. Villagers demand “free subsidy” though medicine is available. Cattle feed is available but supplied to select villagers. MNREGA Job Card holders are paid wages @Rs.120. Lassipora has scope for these economic activities: flour mill, mustard oil mill, packing walnut ‘giri’, and silk yarn units. Lassipora is a case of conflicting duality of demands: people demand bank loan; branches demand third party guarantee. Bank branches demand third party guarantee, which may be valid as per internal procedures and rules of banks but it does not any way serve the purpose of rhetoric of inclusive development of poor villagers. Villagers are keen to start economic activities but are unable to secure access to government serviceman as third party guarantor. Servicemen households are wealthier than farm households -hence not accessible and normally not willing to meet expectations of poor farm households needing bank loan. Mutual help and cooperation is at the lowest ebb in Lassipora.
Farmers demand two-three diesel pump sets to be installed along with pucca drains as alternative source of irrigation. Its need has arisen since Warnow nallah gets dry in June, July and August. Many farmers cultivate paddy and vegetables which needs significant supply of water in summer season. Villagers expressed annoyance that recently huge investment was made on cemented protection walls of Warnow nallah but it got damaged and now requires money for repair. A drain was attached to Warnow nallh but it too got damaged and needs money for repair. Tube wells with pump sets may provide succor to the water starved fields. The most critical need of Lassipora is water for irrigation; they also need inclusive organization for cooperative spirit -say managing collective water bodies. Villages often wage war over others on water issues. Protestor groups in each Development Block fight for water for irrigation development! It warrants prudent management of water in nallahs. Sometimes police and district administration have to intervene to quell violence on water. Lassipora is part of pathetic state of irrigation and defective water distribution mechanisms even as all blocks face crisis of irrigation. Lolab area of Sogam particularly Lassipora demands water for irrigation from Machhal block i.e. the primary source.
There is urgent need for proper management of nallahs. Korwari nallah flowing from Machhal block needs to be integrated with Barnar nallah to reach up to Warnow nallah. Integration of three nallahs shall benefit irrigation of lands in Sogam and Wawoora blocks. Lassipora would also benefit. Notably Kalaroos nallah does not concern Lassipora. Therefore, integration of three nallahs (Korwari, Barnar, Warnow) is expected to solve dual problems of water for drinking and irrigation; river Dahgam (rainy) would also get more water by integration of nallahs. Presently this river does not benefit Sogam block since it does not carry water from melting of snow/glaciers. Hence Lassipora may gain even as villagers demand integration of nallahs and construction of pucca drains and annual repairs. In Sogam block, there are 35 ponds though all of them go dry in July and August. These ponds are a lifeline of irrigation in Sogam block, barring few villages in “kandi” area; Kandi villages do not have ponds. Some ponds have become dry due to silting; their upkeep and maintenance is poor even as these were constructed during 1960s and 1970s by Irrigation Department. There is need to revive these ponds though some are properly maintained and used. Their source of water is rain though uncertain due to climate change. There is need to integrate all ponds with nallahs and rainy rivers for use in summer.
Proliferation of pond culture is expected to benefit the entire valley, since these ponds are replicable models that could be revived and expanded in new areas. Ganaisar pond benefits five wards (Ganai mohalla, Lone Mohalla, Dar Mohalla, Meer Mohalla, Peer Mohalla) out of 10 wards in Sogam. Farmers of remaining wards demand that they should be provided water for irrigation from this pond by way of drains and channels. Nayasar Pond, for its optimum use requires construction of bore wells with diesel pump sets to act as supplementary source for summer and provide irrigation to farms at tail-end of channels of this pond. Pump sets are required for equal distribution of ground water along with pond water. Gurjar Patti Dodawari Pond requires desilting by Irrigation Department as done in Nayasar Pond, or villagers may do it. Farmers demand that size of Dodawari pond should be increased as vacant land is lying unused for which permission of Forest Department is required. Revival and maintenance of ponds by village community may be the optimum solution for ushering economic prosperity of Lassipora.
(Author works for NABARD. Views expressed are personal)
Feedback:mohinder1966@gmail.comss
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