Not even basic facilities for displaced villagers

Villagers of Sekhewal and Kalewal,who have been dislocated from their villages by the ongoing diffusion drive,have complained that their cattles milk production has been reduced by more than half.

Villagers of Sekhewal and Kalewal,who have been dislocated from their villages by the ongoing diffusion drive,have complained that their cattles milk production has been reduced by more than half. Raunki Ram,one of the resident of village Sekhewal,said,A buffalo or cow that used to earlier give 5 kg milk per day now produces just 2 kg a day. The cattle are not getting green fodder and have to be tied the whole day while,earlier,in the village they used to roam around in open areas or graze in the jungles.

A similar problem was highlighted by Maghar Singh of village Kalewal. Kulwinder Kaur,who has 13 buffaloes said,The yield has been badly affected and,hence,our incomes too.

However,animal husbandry experts have indicated that milk production will become normal in a few days. But even after 15 days of the drive,said the villagers,things have not become normal. On Sunday evening,75 water-proof sheets were distributed to the villagers for their cattle. However,Sekhewal Sarpanch Sher Singh said,We are 67 houses and we have been given only 35 sheets while the remaining sheets have gone to to Kalewal residents. These are supposed to be used by human beings and not cattle. The administration need to make some extra arrangements for animals. Their milking cycle has been disturbed badly.

Apart from this,the villagers revealed that they have to send their children to school at 7 am every day whereas school starts at 9 am. Gurbachan Singh,another villager of Sekhewal,said,We have to vacate the village by 7.30 am and,thus,have no choice but to leave the kids in the adjacent schools by 7 am. They keep on roaming around till school actually opens. On the way back,the district administration bus leaves them at the site where we are all sitting.

Those with physical problems are having a tough time commuting every day. Sulakhan Singh,who has suffered a leg fracture,has to come on his friends trolley while Preetam Singh,in his 70s,is on a wheel chair. His relatives have to pull his wheel chair every day from the muddy roads to the site.

The villagers bring cots and other material along every day to relax. They come by foot,picking the goods along with cots.

The women have started doing embroidery work on daily wages to pass time. They bring shawls given by hosiery industrialists along with them.

Water tankers not arriving

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The villagers of Sekhewal sit along the Sutlej bank while Kalewal villagers sit in tents or at open spaces in the Mattewara jungles. The district administration is getting submersibles dug at both sites for the convenience of the villagers as every day the water tankers have not been reaching them in time. The work of submersible pump digging started at Kalewal on Monday.

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Not even basic facilities for displaced villagers

Villagers of Sekhewal and Kalewal,who have been dislocated from their villages by the ongoing diffusion drive,have complained that their cattles milk production has been reduced by more than half.

Villagers of Sekhewal and Kalewal,who have been dislocated from their villages by the ongoing diffusion drive,have complained that their cattles milk production has been reduced by more than half.