Roof for a remote village, thanks to NGOs

By Manas Dasgupta

NALIYA (KUTCH DISTRICT), JUNE 18. They have only heard of the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Keshubhai Patel, or the prominent Kutch leader and the number two in the State Cabinet, Mr. Suresh Mehta. Leave alone the Chief Minister or his deputy, they have not seen their representative in the Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Mandhra, even after the killer earthquake hit the Kutch district and other parts of the State on January 26.

But the 105 families of the tiny Hingaria hamlet in a remote corner in Abdasa taluk in Kutch district can perhaps do without the top leaders. For they have found a saviour in the New York- based India Abroad Foundation and the Vibhash Trust, a non- voluntary organisation of Congress MLA from the Panchamahals district, Ms. Urvashi Devi.

Hingaria is on the threshold of earning the distinction of being the first village in the earthquake-rocked State to be fully rehabilitated before monsoon sets in.

They would get much more than they could have ever bargained for, besides pucca houses there would be a children's playground, a school building, concrete internal roads, medical centre, shops and their own water supply system. They are also allowed to keep their existing land and damaged houses. Those who could not even dream of owning even a small hutment, can now have two houses in their names.

With the reconstruction of the village nearing completion, Hingaria is all set to be handed over to the beneficiaries on June 23. Reconstruction has not even started in most villages or towns in Kutch district. The only other village where reconstruction is going on is `Indraprastha', the new name for the re-located Dudhai village taken over by the former Delhi Chief Minister, Mr. Sahib Singh Verma's ``Rashtriya Swabhiman''. The work is expected to be completed by August 15.

India Abroad Foundation, funding the entire Rs. 1.10 crores needed for the reconstruction of Hingaria through the Vibhash Trust, faced little problems. The village is inhabited by Rajputs and hence the promoters did not encounter caste complications dogging most of the NGOs willing to adopt villages in Kutch district. Hingaria, difficult to find even in the revenue map of the district, was virtually ``discovered'' by the NGOs with the help of the State and national-award winning teacher of the Kothara high school, Mr. Prabhatsinh Jadeja. But reconstruction was fast and faced no hindrance despite no assistance being taken from the State Government. The lands for the new houses were given by the villagers from the ``gram tal'' used for keeping animals. Reconstruction began on April 14 after the panchayat adopted a resolution on March 30. And in a record time of about 60 days, the 106 dwelling units are ready along with most other facilities which did not even exist before the earthquake struck.

The villagers lament the lack of support and sympathy from the State Government. ``No one bothered about us after the earthquake, till Ms. Urvashi Devi's trust supplied us food to eat and plastic sheets to live in. Some help also came from the Red Cross but none through the official agencies,'' said Mr. Bhavsinh Rathod, one of the village leaders.

Though all the other 103 houses in the village barring two pucca houses collapsed, the Government's survey team categorised it as `group two', meaning little damage. Initially, the Government promised to give Rs. 40,000 for every damaged house. However, once the village was adopted, the amount was reduced to half but no payment has come so far. Cheques issued by the taluk development officer as part compensation against temporary structures are not being honoured by the Mothara branch of the Kutch Gramin Bank, the district's lead bank. However, thanks to the NGOs when people in other earthquake-hit villages and towns in the district will be battling the monsoon, villagers of Hingaria will be safe under their own roofs.

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