Dear Friends/Co-sailors,
--
Ranjan K Panda
Water Initiatives Odisha(WIO) has been at the forefront of taking up causes of people and species who are primarily dependent on water resources such as rivers, ponds and other water bodies. We have been asking the government for proper rehabilitation of boatmen whose age old traditional livelihoods have been impacted by modern development projects such as bridges across rivers.
Please find below a news of the plight of boatmen who depended on ferrying passengers and vehicles before the bridge at Sonepur across Mahanadi was built in 2003. About 1000 of them are now living a pitiful life and need proper rehabilitation which has has been eluding them despite promises by government officials at different points of time.
We at WIO want justice for these boatmen and urge upon the Govt. of Odisha to immediately take measures to rehabilitate these boatmen and their families.
We need all your support in this cause. Please take suitable action at your end to put pressure on the government and help the boatmen live a better life.
Thanks and regards,
Ranjan Panda
Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha
=============
Sonepur Boatmen Lose Livelihood to Development
Around 1,000 members of 150 boatmen families, whose main source of income was to ferry people across the river from Sonepur to Birmaharajpaur, are now leading a life of penury.
Development has spelt doom for a section of boatmen. A bridge over river Mahanadi in Sonepur, known as the fishing hub of Western Odisha, has no doubt bridged the distances but has left hundreds of boatmen in the district marooned. The bridge connects Sonepur sub-division with Birmaharajpur to facilitate direct road communication with Sambalpur district. It was dedicated to public on May 7, 2003.
Around 1,000 members of 150 boatmen families, whose main source of income was to ferry people across the river from Sonepur to Birmaharajpaur, are now leading a life of penury.
Living on the banks of the Mahanadi for over three generations, ferrying people of around 400 villages to the other side of the river has been their mainstay. The boatmen earned around ` 5,000 by ferrying around 6,000 persons everyday. There are around 150 families of Keuta caste who are Dalits and dependent on boats for livelihood in Tentulighatpada, Tariapada, Talpada, Tikripada in Sonepur block and Hikudi in Ulunda block.
After the bridge came up in 2002, the boatmen, who had their own boats, were rendered jobless. While some sold their boats and invested the money in tea stalls in the town, others worked as daily labourers or vegetable vendors.
Although the then Collector Bishnupada Sethi had mooted to give two acres of land to each boatman family in Kalapathar area to help them rehabilitate themselves and start life afresh, the proposal was pushed to the backburner after Sethi was transferred from the district. Today a few boats are tied to the banks of the river. They only ferry a few tourists who visit Lankeswari temple having presiding deity of the community located at the middle of the river, said boatman Purna Mallick of Taripada.
Even the fish population has dwindled and it hardly makes any sense for them to go for fishing as the catch is too little. The river is home to some rare species of fish, but in the absence of a proper riverine fishery policy, some of the rare species have become extinct. The fisheries officials in the district have recorded extinction of at least seven varieties of fish due to lack of conservation measures.
The affected villagers said youths of the Keuta community should be imparted skill development training in other trades and rehabilitated.
Mallick said though there was a proposal to hand over small water bodies in the town to their community members for pisciculture, the proposal has no takers. However, Sonepur Sub-Collector Faguram Marandi said they have not received any application for pisciculture in water bodies.
sad story
■ A bridge connecting Sonepur sub-division with Birmaharajpur was constructed in 2003
■ Around 150 boatmen families, whose source of income was to ferry people across the river were rendered jobless
■ The then Collector had mooted to give two acres of land to each boatman family to help them rehabilitate, the proposal was pushed to backburner after his transfer
=============
Ranjan K Panda
Convenor, Water Initiatives Odisha, INDIA
Mahanadi River Waterkeeper (Member, Waterkeeper Alliance, New York)
Mobile: +919437050103
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanp
Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader
Email: ranjanpanda@gmail.com, ranjanp
Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader
Water talks to me, I speak for Water...
===
Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO) is a state level coalition of civil society organisations, farmers, academia, media and other concerned, which has been working on water, environment and climate change issues in the state for more than two decades now.
No comments:
Post a Comment