Author: Darshan Desai
Publication: Outlook
Date: February 24, 2003
Introduction: Post-quake rebuilding
in rural Kutch is an epitome of self-reliance
Drive out of Bhuj town and the real
spirit of the Kutchis begins to show. Unfazed by the sudden, total destruction
of their habitat by an earthquake two years ago, the average Kutchi has
proved he's a great survivor.
In village after village, men and
women have helped themselves and their neighbours rebuild their homes while
their urban cousins complained of official apathy. Without seeking state
assistance or waiting endlessly for aid agencies, entire villages that
were flattened by the 7.8 Richter temblor have come up once again.
"Come, I'll take you to where it
all began and then explain what we did," a beaming Bhimjibhai Dangar told
us in Khengarpur, a village close to the epicentre that had felt the earth's
full fury. They have rebuilt its 295 houses, all of which had been laid
to waste by the quake. "Our houses are now bhukamp-proof," declares Bhimjibhai.
The villagers took tips from construction engineers. "We had never heard
of columns and beams, but now we know. Earlier, our houses were all stones
and mud."
The villagers were promised an assistance
of Rs 90,000 each by the government, but are yet to receive the last instalment.
Says Bhanabhai: "We didn't wait for the government. We just built the houses.
And our decision was right, for we are yet to receive the last instalment
of aid and we hear that the government has no more money." In the neighbouring
Umedpur village, all the 100 destroyed houses have been rebuilt jointly
by an NGO and the villagers.
Of the 1,11,786 houses destroyed
in rural Kutch, 50,846 have already been rebuilt and 26,226 of these by
the villagers on their own. The rest were built with NGO help, with villagers
taking the initiative. The NGOs are now looking at a wider ambit: economic
sufficiency. Says Sonal Maniar of NGO Shrujan: "We've decided to hold on
to Bhadli village (in Nakhatrana taluka) for another five years, for the
real work starts now. We've to make it into a self-sustained model village.
So far, they have got back their shelters, not their livelihood."
Bhadli's steely woman sarpanch Harkhoben
Rabari is not educated but she knows all about earthquake-proof housing
and now actively participates in Shrujan's discussions on improving the
villagers' lives. Says Lavjibhai Shah, deputy sarpanch: "Water is a serious
problem in our village. Now, with help from the NGOs, we've constructed
14 canals, 21 small ponds and 14 small check-dams. And to do away with
the problems of procurement of quality seeds, we have decided to set up
a seed bank."
The primary school in the village,
jointly set up by Shrujan and the Mumbai-based Pentagon Charitable Trust,
puts many a city school to shame. Vasant Vidyalaya is complete with a reading
room, a 700-book library, a community hall for the village, a playground
and what have you. "The people in Bhadli have displayed a unique sense
of unity, setting aside all politics. So, their rehabilitation has been
faster," says Sonal.
In contrast, Bhuj, Anjar, Bhachau
and Rapar-the four worst-hit cities-are caught up in legal tangles. Though
the development plan for these cities was in place a year ago, implementation
is something nobody can agree about. Unlike in villages where there is
a strong sense of community, vested interests take over in the cities.
Many don't want to give up even a small piece of their land for the common
good.
"The cities have become villages
and villages have become cities," says businessman Ravinder Sabarwal in
Gandhidham. He's fighting a legal battle against the Gandhidham Development
Authority. He alleges that the authority is back to its old ways of randomly
granting nocs to constructions.
The villages, in a sense, have a
lesson or two for the cities. A slogan on a freshly painted house in Bhadli
indicates the grit of the rural Kutchis: "Bahadur banva mate manasey potana
kartavyathi vishesh karya karvu joiye (Being strong in mind is his basic
duty.But man must achieve more than that)."
