Man converts place of death into cradle of life

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN /Amarapar (Rajkot district): Meet Teja Vasani, 50, landless labourer with a passion for nature. This resident of Amarapar village in Jasdan taluka, Rajkot district, has turned a crematorium into an oasis by planting 1,000 trees. Vasani owned two chhagadas which he rented out to make a living. Three years ago, when he decided to plant trees in the crematorium, he sold one for Rs 80,000 and ploughed the money into planting trees and conserving soil. “I’m a casual labourer and had no money to pursue my interest in tree plantation. Also, there was no space in my village for large-scale planting. I found a crematorium but the land was rocky. To make it suitable for cultivation I needed money. So, I sold my chhagada,’’ says Vasani. When he began his work people used to laugh at him and many villagers opposed it. People believed the land was not suitable for growing trees. Some thought he would encroach on it using tree plantation as an excuse. “But, I went ahead working almost 24X7 for two years. I’ve planted 20 different species at the site,” says the determined green activist. Often, Vasani had to sleep in a spot at night where someone had been cremated in the day. But, this didn’t scare or disgust him. “I wanted to complete my mission at any cost. I have nothing to leave behind as a legacy but these trees,” he says. Earlier, he lived with his wife in the village. Now, they have made this crematorium their home.

Check dams or health, he gets them on track

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN/ Vangdhra village(Rajkot district): For Hanubhai Derawaliya, sarpanch of Vangadhra village in Jasdan taluka, RTI is a tool to fix all ills — from getting an ill-constructed check dam repaired to having money allocated for health committees being put to proper use and making village panchayat accountable. “In 2007, the government built a check dam on Guma river here under the Sardar Patel Sahbhagi Sinchai Yojna at Rs 12 lakh. But the construction was so poor that the very first monsoon left it damaged. It was public money and villagers contributed 20 per cent to it. I sought information under RTI about details of construction materials used and the reason behind the damage. First, engineers were not willing to provide answers. But, I decided to fight for villagers’ rights. Later, the local administration was convinced. It accepted the the irregularities and spent Rs 4.80 lakh to repair the check dam,’’ says Derawaliya. “Right now, farmers on both sides of the river are getting benefits of the check dam as it has helped their well get re-charged,’’ he adds. As member of the village panchayat last year, Derawaliya was upset no meetings were called for a long time. “I approached the talati but he refused to act. So, I sought details under RTI. He was careless in responding to my application, which went to information commissioner and the talati was fined Rs 500 for not giving information,’’ says Derawaliya. He is now the village sarpanch and also works with a local NGO, Saurashtra Voluntary Action. “I came to know about money for the village health committee lying unused. According to the rules, every village-level health committee receives Rs 10,000 from the government. But in most cases, grants were not used. I sought details of money spent under this scheme,” says Derawaliya. “When we received the information, we found many norms were violated. Later, health officials decided to spend the entire grant in every every village and also streamline the system by the use of RTI. The application benefited 102 villages in Jasdan taluka,’’ he adds. “Whenever I find irregularities in any sector in my taluka, I use RTI immediately. I have found that it results in serving the larger public interest. People now come to me to learn how to use RTI,’’ says Derawaliya.

Fishermen saviour of whale sharks

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN/Rajkot: Myths about whale sharks have made them look like voracious predators. However, the fact remains that whale sharks at the Gujarat coastline are at the mercy of fishermen who in recent years have played the role of their protectors, much to the joy of wildlife lovers.
As many as 34 whale sharks were released voluntarily by the fishermen in April and May alone this year. The fishermen communities, particularly the Kharvas, released 26 whale sharks at Veraval mid-sea and another eight at Jamavada sea — these had accidentally got caught in fishing nets.
Forest officials say the numbers of release of whale sharks will see an increase this year. The fishermen intimate forest officials immediately whenever a whale shark gets caught in their nets in mid-sea. The officials then take the help of fishermen in the rescue operation, enabling the trapped whale shark to swim free again.
“Fishing has been officially stopped due to the ensuing monsoon. It will now resume in October. However, by releasing 34 whale sharks in April and May, caught off Gujarat coast, the fishermen have shown a tremendous understanding about wildlife and the need to protect the rare species,” forest officials said.
The ‘save the whale sharks campaign’ was launched four years ago by spiritual leader Morari Bapu. The campaign run by Wildlife Trust of India and International Fund for Animal Welfare with support from Tata Chemicals Ltd and Gujarat Forest Department has left a huge impact on the fishermen community, yielding good results, says KR Vaghasia, range forest officer, Veraval.
The whale shark, which migrates in winters from Africa to Gujarat coast, was placed under schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act in 2001.
Vaghasia said in 2005-06 there were only two instances of release of whale sharks which by 2008-09 have gone on to touch the 99 mark. “This year we expect the number to cross 120’’, he said. “All mid-sea rescue operations are conducted with local fishermen’s assistance. The fishermen, whose fishing nets need to be cut to free the trapped whale sharks are given up to Rs 25,000 as compensation,” said IM Kureshi, RFO, Jamvada Range, also in Junagadh district. However, there is strong resentment among fishermen over the compensation amount.
“We are supporting the government in its ‘save the whale sharks campaign’ by making it a Kharva community initiative out of respect to Morari Bapu. However, the government has not kept its promise on compensation,” Jitendra Kuhada, a Kharva community leader in Veraval, told TOI.
“On many occasions the compensation paid was just Rs 5,000 though the actual loss suffered by a fisherman has been quite high. There is a need to raise the amount of compensation,” he added. Forest officials too are of the opinion that the policy on compensation should be reviewed in favour of fishermen.

Special cards for Salaya to tide over water crisis

Vijaysinh Parmar/TNN/RAJKOT:The breach in Narmada canal near Malvan in Surendranagar district has paralysed the water distribution system in Saurashtra, forcing the local authorities of Salaya, a coastal town in Jamnagar district, to issue water cards to families. The town has a population of 35,000, mainly fishermen, and the water card has been issued in the last two days to avoid stampede or quarrel over drinking water among the people. "The card system is the best way for water distribution here. Salaya Nagarpalika's tankers go to various areas in the town. Water distribution is done on the basis of the family's size. Signatures of members of the respective families are taken after water allocation. This has brought down complaints over water distribution by about 60 per cent," said AB Shaikh, chief officer, Salaya Nagarpalika. Water crisis is not new to the residents of the town. Earlier, local authorities used to distribute water to ration card holders only. Sources estimated the daily requirement of water in Salaya at four lakh litres. However, the nagarpalika distributed two barrels of drinking water (450 litres water in a barrel) for a five member family for six days. For other use, residents have to make do with saline or contaminated water. The town is dependent on Sihan dam for its water requirements. However, with the onset of summer, the reservoir dries up and Narmada water is the only hope for people here. Interestingly, Salaya Nagarpalika is yet to get a water storage sump or over head tank built to store Narmada water. "We need a water tank with 20 lakh litres capacity for the town. We have written to Gujarat Municipal Finance Board and Gujarat Urban Development Mission for administrative and technical approvals respectively," sources said.

Barda Wildlife Sanctuary faces threat from mining

Vijaysinh Parmar/TNN/RAJKOT: At a time when the state government is mulling shifting lions from Gir to Barda wildlife sanctuary in Porbandar and Jamnagar, information sought under the Right to Information Act (RTI) revealed rampant mining activities in the surrounding areas. The sanctuary is spread over 192.31 sq km falling in Jamnagar and Porbandar districts. According to Wildlife Protection Act (1972), mining is not permissible in 5 km periphery of the sanctuary. An RTI application filed by Bhanu Odedara, a resident of Porbandar, has revealed how a number of mining licences have been given within the 5-km area of Barda wildlife sanctuary since 2002 till date. As per the information provided by state geological department, 21 permissions for mining around the forest area have been granted since 2002 many of which were given without a no-objection certificate (NoC) from the state forest department. There are around 38 more applications pending. Forest department officials in Barda said they have not issued any NoC to carry out mining operations near the sanctuary. Odedara said he also sought information about name of the lease holders, locations and survey numbers as well as area of the mines. He also sought to know how many mines leases were given or renewed by mines department without the NoC of the forest department and the period of the leases. Officials in the state environment and forest department said Barda is the only ecological spot in the state, where more than 650 flowering plants have been recorded. The sanctuary was also home to Asiatic lion in the past apart. Today, it houses sambar, chital and chinkara. In 1979, the reserve forest of Barda was earmarked as a sanctuary. "There is a great danger to ecology of the sanctuary and environmental degradation of the area if these mining activities are not stopped. It will affect animals, too. If the government considers Barda as the second home of Asiatic lions, it should stop mining operations immediately," said Odedara.

Beating the heat to fetch water the only option

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN/Rangpar (Wankaner): Around 40 km away from the bustle of Rajkot, hot winds start blowing from early morning. The winds only get more scorching as the day passes. Stepping on this parched land when temperatures are touching 43 degree Celsius, that too with naked feet, is unthinkable. But, Mavu Rabari braves it all. If she doesn’t, life would come to standstill. This is Rangpar, where Mavu and many other women walk three km daily to fetch drinking water. Mavu was married to a person in another village near Rangpar but she has come down to this village so that her 70-year-old mother does not have to walk miles to get water. Her brothers, like many other men in the village, have migrated to nearby farms with animals, due to water scarcity. “We have to spend fours hours daily to get drinking water. Our suffering is getting worse by the day,” she laments. With all lakes, ponds and wells drying up, villagers here have no option but to fetch water throughout the day. “We have dug up virdo (small well) on the outskirts of the village but it is not sufficient to provide water to this village of nearly 1,000 people. So, there is a scramble for even a single drop,” says villager Ratnabhai Ala. Sources say that 70 per cent of the villagers have migrated to nearby farmlands due to water crisis. And, fetching water after so much agony is not the end of their troubles. “We have to consume contaminated water, as there is no potable water source around the village. We do not give our children a bath for at least 10 days. Bathing is a luxury,” says Mani Takmaria. According to village sarpanch Rata Gogia, government will start distributing water through tankers, but it will send only just tanker daily which is not sufficient for the entire village. “We urged them to send three tankers so that quarrels can be avoided when tankers come to village,” he said.

Surendranagar milks its way to success

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN/Surendranagar: This parched region is waking up to a white revolution. Water-starved villages of Surendranagar district are scripting a success story in the dairy sector. Increased returns to farmers have resulted in an impressive growth in the number of dairy co-operative societies in the district. Sample this: From 221 in 2003-04, the number has shot up to 620 in 2008-09. Milk procurement too has grown at a handsome rate of 27 per cent as compared to previous year — 930 lakh kg as against 730 lakh kg last year. “The average per kg milk prices paid to farmers during 2008-09 has been Rs 19.09 as compared to Rs 18.17 previous year. This is a growth of 5 per cent,” said Dhiraj Chaudhary, manager of Surendranagar District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd, a member of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). One of the fastest growing dairies of the federation, Surendranagar dairy plans to start packaging Amul milk in near future. Milk procurement has touched 2.55 lakh litres per day (LLPD) as against 1.99 LLPD last year. The peak procurement has been 3.58 LLPD, said Chaudhary. There are 10 talukas in the district with 620 milk co-operative societies and 94,771 members. Many of these villages are traditionally associated with animal husbandry. But, good prices offered by dairy co-operatives are luring them. “We have taken various initiatives to encourage farmers. We are planning to award highest producers at taluka level,’’ said Chaudhary.

These Saurashtra farmers sow Jowar to feed birds

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN\ Rajkot: People feeding birds with generous quantities of bajra and jowar is a common sight, in cities too. But, farmers in Jamnagar district are a tad more charitable. In a unique initiative, farmers in villages of Jodia taluka are sowing jowar specially for birds. Two lanes of jowar are being sowed and the crop is meant only to feed birds. Called Bhagwan no Bhag (God’s share) in local parlance, this move stemmed out realisation that the birds were going hungry after farmers stopped sowing bajra and jowar and shifted to cash crops. Raju Bala, a farmer in Tarana village, said, “For many years, we have stopped cultivating jowar, bajra and other crops and diverted to cash crops. This was staple food of the birds. But now I have decided to cultivate at least two lanes of jowar for the birds.” Bala is one of those farmers who is inspiring his community too to adopt this noble idea in order to save the birds and the environment. Interestingly, VD Bala, a forester at Hingolgadh sanctuary and members of his Navarang Nature Club, have been going from one village to another since a year with the message — ‘Ram ki Chidia, Ram ka Khet’ (Birds and fields both are due to grace of Lord Ram) in the region. “Besides shifting to cash crops, there was a tradition in agrarian community to keep aside some parts of their crops for birds and other animals. But this is on a decline now. We want to revive this tradition,” he said. Bala said, “Wherever we go we receive a good response from the villagers. Farmers have also been urged to make a small pit filled with water in their farm for birds. “We expect that by this monsoon, more than 10,000 farmers in Saurashtra will join this drive by cultivating one or two lanes of jowar and bajra for birds,”

Mother’s pyre inspired him to embark on green drive

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN\Rajkot: One would surely not expect a crematorium to be an inspiring place. That too for someone lighting his mother’s pyre. But, while cremating his mother three years ago, Manoj Boricha, a small-time businessman in the city, was pained thinking about the sheer number of trees that are chopped down for a person’s final rites. Since that day, he embarked on an endless ‘green drive’. A resident of Thorala area, Boricha has made it a mission to plant at least 50 different trees at various locations in the city every year. These days, too, he is finalising a proper place for planting 50 trees before monsoon sets in. “I have identified a space at ‘Smashan Gruh’ (crematorium) in Thorala, where tree plantation is required and is safe’’ Boricha says. Boricha, who has planted over 300 trees, mostly fruit-bearing, near Aji dam and Kalipar, has decided to take care of all the saplings till they are fully grown. “Everybody must plant at least five trees in his life. So that when someone dies, they don’t need to chop down precious trees for their pyres,’’ Boricha adds. “Only plantation is not enough. We have to see whether they are growing properly or not. I arranged vermicompost and water for the plantations. I am happy that out of 300 trees, 250 survived,” Boricha says. Interestingly, his noble initiative has inspired many friends, who have joined him in this drive. “Many people have joined me in this and they help me in whatever I require for this cause. My motto is Rajkot city should become ‘Green City,” he adds.