Fields in the pits
Author: Mamta Sen Date: 05 Mar 2008
Villagers from Vidarbha say Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s men dug up unfinished ponds all over the field and disappeared; Art of Living says they will resume work after March 15
PIT SPOT: Minister for Panchayat Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar inspects the pit dug up by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s men
SPIRITUAL guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s attempt at rehabilitation of Bothbodan village appears to have backfired. In October last year, villagers say the Guru along with his associates came to adopt this hamlet of 975 people in Yavatmal district that had seen nearly 18 farmer suicides. According to the villagers, the spiritual guru aimed at building small farm ponds for them to store rainwater. He had emphasised that these ponds will also help as perfect irrigation system. “His men dug the ponds but failed to adhere to the exact depth of the pond leaving the work unfinished and our fields in utter ruins,” explains sarpanch Anupam Chavan. Today there are around 26 such pits dug and lying unattended on the fields, which have the farmers worried.The maximum depth of the pond is around 20 feet, while minimum is around 10 feet. But villagers say that Ravi Shankar’s men dug pits only five feet deep and left.“We are now worried about the monsoons, when these pits become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” said Narayan Rathod, adding that it would have helped if the pits were dug to a depth of 10 feet as they are neither ponds nor wells.Another villager says that they cannot even toil the fields due to these pits.According to district information officer Ranjit Chandel the ponds are constructed only after taking the topography of the fields into consideration and checking the slope of the water.TomorrowWill the Union Budget package really help the farmers?
1 comment:
Did you ask the villagers, why they are not finishing up the job instead of complaining about those who came to help them. After all it is their fields, any social workers should come and show them what to do and how to do and not do the job. They should empower themselves not complain about those who came to help them.
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