The farming community in Bodhepurva, a village in Uttar Pradesh, is bearing the brunt of official apathy as well as uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources. It is also only fair that the small and marginal farmers of the village and others facing similar problems be compensated for the harm done by destructive mining practices and protected from continuing damage, says Bharat Dogra, as he gives us a picture of lives lived in the village where children do not have a school to go
At a time when India boasts of a very high literacy rate, it’s a shocking fact that in Bodhepurva Village in Banda District of Uttar Pradesh (just on the border with Madhya Pradesh) almost no child attends school regularly. The location of the village is such that to enter it, one has to go through neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, and Bodhepurva depends more on MP than UP to meet many of its needs. As a result, it is neglected, and extremely poor.
Being on the border of UP and MP isn’t the only reason for the poverty that dogs the villagers. Most of the small and marginal farmers of Bodhepurva (in Naraini Block of Banda District) belong to the Kewat Community, associated closely with life near rivers. This community is specially skilled in cultivating diverse vegetable and fruit crops that grow close to rivers. Their traditional home is on the banks of the River Ken, which they consider on par with a mother.
However, aggressive sand mining, conducted both legally and illegally, has ravaged the environment of the Ken and other rivers of the Bundelkhand Region of late. The indiscriminate removal of sand from the river has adversely affected the life of the farming community in Bodhepurva. Vehicles used in the sand-mining process frequently damage the standing crops, affecting the livelihood of the villagers, who are therefore increasingly dependent on the meagre and precarious earnings from migrant labour. They travel to distant places and work hard, but often, even the very low wages they are promised do not materialise, and they have to return home more or less empty-handed.
Infrastructure is poor too. There is no proper road to the village. People find it extremely difficult to reach the nearest hospital. There is only one water source in working condition in the village and if even that fails, the villagers have to walk about two kilometres to get water from the Ken River. No new water connections have been received under the Tap for Every Home initiative and the Jal Jeevan Mission.
And Bodhepurva does not have a school. The nearest one is in Madhya Pradesh, but children from the village are not welcome there. When will the government provide the people of this neglected village with livelihoods, education, housing, water, sanitation and proper roads? It is also only fair that the small and marginal farmers of this village and others facing similar problems be compensated for the harm done by destructive mining practices, and protected from continuing damage. They should be helped to get back to their sustainable farming practices close to the river.
Note: Bodhepurva has been spelt by the writer as it is pronounced by the villagers.
(The writer is a senior freelance journalist and author who has been associated with several social movements and initiatives. He lives in New Delhi.)
from Webdoux