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Vantra
goes unnoticed; no relief reaches it
MILIND GHATWAI
Nature
has been very unkind to this tiny village. Not only is the village
small, but also unapproachable. And if relief material has not reached
this village, for once, it's not the administration's fault. The
village, located on a small hillock, disappeared in the January
26 earthquake.
While
at some villages new water sources have opened up, at others whatever
little water there was has dried up. In this vantra, a small pool
of stagnant rainwater has suddenly turned into a steady stream that
runs towards the farms. However, the villagers claim that the water
is saline. Other than a few patches of cultivable land, the village
is surrounded by barren salty land.
Hit
badly by the quake, the villagers are now wondering whether they
will be forced to relocate. "If the water continues to flow
at this rate, it will ruin our land,'' says Noor Mohammed, eyeing
the steady stream of water.
Though
only an old woman's life was lost, all the houses were destroyed
by the quake. Another villager died in Anjar where he was working
as a daily labourer.
Drawing
from their experience, the villagers say little will grow in their
land if the flow of water does not stop. If it spreads, it will
also cut off the only approach road to the village.
For
the past two years, the rain god has refused to smile on the region,
thus forcing most of the residents to look for jobs outside the
village.
Their
woes do not end here. If it had not been for the quake, the village
would have been connected by a pucca road. "Work had started
but the quake has put a question mark on its completion,'' laments
another villager.
Vehicles
carrying relief supplies roar past their village, heading towards
the now famous Dhrang-Lodi village which is believed to be the epicentre
of quake.
Just
4 kms away, a stream of villagers throng to a place from where water
has gushed out in patches. They collect water from a crater to carry
as memento and then happily return to their respective vehicles,
not bothering to think if there's life beyond the white patches.
Vantra
villagers have placed a board there, which says "Take a look
at us," urging visitors to pay attention to their needs as
well, which is persistently ignored by the memento hunters.
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