Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Feb 26: Just 20 kilometers away from Potka Block in East Singhbhum district is Chardiha village with an approximate population of 150 people whose dependence for potable water is one solitary handpump that annually produces water in trickles even before the advent of summer. When this source of water dries up, the denizens of the village have to dig the earth to quench their thirst. And yet there has been no respite for them through time. Chardiha is a Bhumij majority village and through 30 years, all elected legislators in this Assembly constituency have been members of the Bhumij community.
With just an inkling of approaching summer, the handpump has already developed signs of drying up. The Chardiha villagers are naturally a worried lot. Nirmal Sardar, Kajal Bhumij, Navita Sardar had worry lines on their foreheads when they drew a bleak picture of neglect. They said that there is no road either to connect the village with the Potka Block or nearby areas. The sick have to be carried on motorcycles to Potka and the Sadar hospital for treatment as no ambulance visits the village due to inaccessibility. They said that Chardiha villagers have demanded of the government for the installation of three handpump sets, one lake and one water tower. Incidentally, the sole solar powered water tower at Chardiha School has been nonfunctional since a long time.
The villagers complained that no political leader or even the legislators ever visited the village to note the difficulties faced by the villagers, leave alone finding solutions. “Theyb only come during election times, give assurances while seeking votes and then vanish. This has been the story since 30 years. We villagers have not yet received the benefits of PMAY,” complained one of the villagers.
The scene in Chardiha village in so far as provision of basic amenities is pathetic to state the least. Even the animals are forced to graze on dry stubbles and are equally thirsty during summer. Meanwhile, Chardiha villagers who have stopped crossing their fingers for better days, remain resigned to their fate and stare at a bleak horizon with unseeing eyes. (w-gs)
