Cattle-herder Vandana Ben Limbachia has a post card in her hand, a thirsty look on her face and hope in her eyes. She is one among the thousands who have written to “Bhai Modi.” “If you have a problem, write a letter,” chips in Anuben Chowdhury, another aggrieved pastoralist from the area repeats NaMo’s refrain.
The women are riddled as much with the misery of a drought-stricken land as they are with the indifference of the district administration and state government. “We have a huge water problem. No one is doing anything about it,” add the many others who are sending their postcards to Delhi.
More than 50,000 women spanning 125 villages across Banaskantha district have taken to the letter-writing. Sunday marks the first day of their exercise.
Drought, parched tracts of land and a struggle for daily necessities that entail water, these women, say they have had enough. Joining hands with farmers in the area, the women from Vadgam and Palanpur are the flag-bearers of an agitation to secure water.
The solution, as they say, lies in filling up water in Karmawat Lake to enable flow across the Mukteshwar Dam in Banaskantha. “Either the authorities do not care or water is being made an entity to politics,” reason the villagers, adding that the recent rally by farmers in the belt failed to wake up authorities.
The terrain is dry but water lines can ensure a mitigation to their perennial problem. In fact, the water level in Vadgam and Palanpur is so deep that farmers are forced to abandon crops for want to water. “Our stir has been on since two months. But nothing has been done,” add the agriculturists.
Despite the “maha rally” to the district collector’s office a few days ago, no one even came to assess the ground reality. “We even lit lamps at the temples praying for divine light to show the way to government officials. But our woes continue,” they inform.
PM Modi’s visit to Gujarat has lit their zeal once again. “We hope Bhai comes to rescue,” echo the helpless sisters while racing to post their note to Delhi.
