Mallika Sarabhai

Boribunds for whom?

Posted in Blog

On 28^th December 2009, the Gujarat Samachar published an article highlighting the non-participatory and unaccountable process in the planning and construction of boribunds in Gujarat, under the umbrella of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). It was based on the information received from a RTI filed by Cranti and the Kisan Adhikari Manch. The details are as follows:On 13^th January, Bharatsinh Jhala of Cranti and Kisan Adhikari Manch submitted a RTI to the Chief Minister’s Office requesting the information on

1. The general regulation released by the State government on constructing boribunds in the villages of Gujarat and the names of the ministers responsible for taking the decision for the same.
2. The details of the villages, taluka and zillas where the boribunds were constructed and the costs incurred.
3. Details of the distribution of the costs incurred by the State and the Central Government.
4. The details of the complaints filed in relation to the boribunds issue and the government official responsible for investigating these complaints.
5. The names and villages of all the people who received employment from the construction of the boribunds and the costs incurred by the State government for the same.

We received the following information:

On 17^th August 2009, Mr. Narendra Modi made an announcement to commence the construction of the boribunds as top priority within a month, through a video conference from Sacchivalaya, Gandhinagar. The taluka offices informed that the names of the ministers-in- charge could be obtained from the State Government.

1. Different information has received from different talukas and zillas. For example, in one taluka, boribunds had been constructed at a cost ranging from Rs. 7 lakhs to Rs. 23 lakhs. But since there were no rains during the next month, there has been no collection or containment of water.
2. All the costs have been incurred utilising the finds from the Central Government’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).
3. No complaints have been filed yet.
4. The name and details of the workers who received employment through the NREG scheme is available on the Central Governments website or hard copies are available on payment of a fee (nrega.nic.in)

As per the information received above, though the State Government took a decision to construct the boribunds, none of the villages had passed a prior resolution for the same. As per the NREGS policy, the villagers have to make a decision on the kind of development work to be undertaken in a Gramsabha, which the Gram Panchayat then implements. The purpose of the scheme is to enable our villages to construct permanent structures to collect or contain rain water; to increase the life security, provide employment and enable development of the households living within the jurisdiction of the Panchayat. However, the boribund is not a permanent structure and they have been built without any planning for disasters or stopping the runoff of rain water!

The State Government is aware that due to the disasters and man-made floods from 2005 to 2008, there was a change in the course of rivers in 23 zillas. As a result, lakhs of farmers’ fields were washed away rendering them unfit for cultivation. If the Zilla Collectors, Zilla Development Officers, Taluka Development Officers and the MPs and MLAs across Gujarat, had undertaken long term measures such as increasing the depths of the rivers, pitching both the river banks and constructing check dams at every kilometer instead of constructing boribunds, then the water could have been prevented from flooding the villages or the fields.

Disasters have become an opportunistic event for the government to undertake much needed development work. It is ironic that even though relief packages worth crores of rupees were declared for the earthquake in 2001, the communal riots and the floods; these have yet not been implemented. However, when the Chief Minister makes an announcement through a video conference, government officers like puppets spend crores of rupees within one month.

We have filed a complaint to the Minister for Rural Development, New Delhi to bring to his and the Central Government’s notice on the gross misuse of the NREG scheme by the Government of Gujarat and the Chief Minister. Please read our upcoming post.

No. of boribunds constructed and expenditure incurred (From RTI)

Tags: Boribunds, Cranti, NREGS, RTI