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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Delhi Village Farmers Pay Price for Urbanisation -Ravi Kaushal

Delhi Village Farmers Pay Price for Urbanisation -Ravi Kaushal

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published Published on Oct 19, 2021   modified Modified on Oct 20, 2021

-Newsclick.in

Farmlands in Narela’s Garhi Bakhtawarpur village remain flooded for eight months a year due to an overflowing drain.

Saving his crops from the overflowing local pond spread across five acres in Garhi Bakhtawarpur village, in Narela, seems to be an eternal battle for Ritesh Rana.

Pointing to an inundated patch of farms, Rana said that his family owns 30 acres. However, owning such prime land in the national capital is not beneficial as they remain inundated for more than eight months in a year.

The residents of the village maintain that the pond caters to the needs of Bakhtawarpur and other neighbouring villages, like Palla, Majra and Hiranki. With the advent of urbanisation, the drains of the villages turned into a pond. As the population of the villages exploded with migrants settling down on the outskirts, the wastewater emanating from the locality flooded the pond and killed the prospects of getting any income from the crops.

Rana told Newsclick that though he does not want to sell his land, unlike several other villagers who turned into property dealers, the conditions are unsustainable. “For years, land here was sold at very cheap rates. We did not sell our land because we wanted to save it for our future generations. But the conditions are forcing us to reconsider our decision. I have been pleading with the authorities to make a new drain from Palla to Hiranki. The infrastructure here is 25 years old. Even though the villages of outer Delhi contributed heavily to the electoral success of the Aam Aadmi Party twice, we are at receiving end now.”

Showing a file full of complaints, Rana said, “Public works department (PWD) officials said that tenders for the construction of a drain had been invited in the last nine years. But nothing happened. In response to one such complaint, the PWD department in its note dated August 27, 2021, said that the contract was awarded for the construction of an RCC drain. Tentatively, work will start within 10 days.”

Another resident Sumit Rana told Newsclick that he even tried growing short-term and off-season vegetables to minimise the risk posed by the flooded drain in vain. Pointing at the bund, Rana said, “It can break anytime. We have already paid about Rs 2.5 Lakh in constructing a temporary bank to contain the water. With no crops, how would a farmer’s family survive? Youngsters like me are looking for jobs outside.”

The pandemic worsened the crisis. “With no money, the families literally collapsed with the demise of several members. They could not save them because of lack of money,” Rana said.

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Newsclick.in, 19 October, 2021, https://www.newsclick.in/delhi-village-farmers-pay-price-urbanisation


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