Development projects fail to lift Junglemahal

16 May 2012

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 16 MAY: The state's much-hyped development projects for tribal people seem to have brought little qualitative change in lives of the people in Maoist-hit Junglemahal in West Midnapore.
If one goes through figures of the house-listing and housing census-2011, the statement holds true. The census finds an increase in the number of families who walk more than half a kilometer to fetch drinking water during the past decade.
According to the state's house-listing and housing census-2011, as high as 36.5 per cent of total households were found to be travelling more than 500 meters from their homes to get drinking water compared to 30.4 per cent of total households in 2001.
If the percentage is converted into actual figures, a total of 4,10,884 families had drinking water sources more than 500 meter from their houses in rural areas of the district. It means these families have become vulnerable as far as access to drinking water is concerned.
“This figure is obviously high when any one goes through rural fringes of Junglemahal. There are several areas in Belpahari, Banshpahari and Kantapahari where tribal people walk more than a kilometer to fetch drinking water,” said Mr Ashok Mahato, a social activist.
During the past one decade, the growth in number of such households has gone up by more than 11 per cent - helplessness has become more acute.
Less than two months after assuming power, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced a list of development projects for the region. All tribal families in Jangalmahal have been declared BPL (below poverty line), and families with an annual income of up to Rs 42,000 would be able to purchase rice at Rs 2 a kg. She promised to upgrade the heath care system and pledged to address the drinking water crisis. She also announced major projects in the field of education, including the establishment of a Central agricultural university, and new colleges.
Miss Banerjee also announced that 10,000 young people from the region would be recruited in the police force as special constables, home guards and national volunteers.
“But all her development projects seem to have brought little qualitative change in the lives of tribal people in Junglemahal," said Ramu Murmu, a resident of Khattadhara in Belpahari.
According to local residents, the census does not reflect the exact distance people travel for drinking water. In remote areas like Khattadhara, Simulpal, Dulongdiha and others, the situation is worse. Womenfolk walk around 5 km to draw drinking water, said Lakshmi Mandi, a resident of Dulongdiha.
Mr Mahato said: “The people walk for miles to fetch drinking water, but it does not mean that people are getting quality drinking water. Had the quality parameter been taken into account, the figure would have been much higher.”
Access to water is limited to people in a few urban locations. The house-listing and housing census-2011 finds that there has been a decrease in the number of families travelling more than half a kilometre for drinking water in urban areas.