SATURDAY, MAY 04, 2024
PARTIK PARAB
MORPILA: The village of cashew, paddy and chillies is ready to spice up their protest against neglect, at the right time- on polling day. On that day they have decided to travel on roads that haven't been tarred for two decades to make themselves heard, at the polling booth.
The disappointment echoed in every sentence they spoke.
“Not a single sports ground for the village that produced three national level Kho-Kho players” exclaimed Kalpesh Velip, a disgusted youth from Morpirla village.
Tired of waiting for basic amenities and fundamental and constitutional rights, the remote villagers are set to make themselves heard when it really matters- on polling day
O Heraldo visited the secluded village of Morpirla and spoke to people and their plight that they have been going through for decades.
Situated near Fatorpa and Balli, Morpirla has a voter population of around 2,000. The village which has a seven-member panchayat is primarily habited by the Scheduled Tribals, especially from the Velip community. The community has been making a living mostly out of cashew cultivation, paddy and horticulture crops like chillies and leafy vegetables. Living in the lap of nature with the blessings of Lord Saptakoteshwar and Lord Hanuman, the villagers have always worked really hard to eke out a living.
However, the fight for their fundamental rights to live a dignified life has been longer than expected. The village gets water for only an hour a day. When they lose power supply, they don't expect it to come back soon. Despite the fact that there are national level kho-kho players in the village, they do not have a single sports ground. Some internal roads of the village haven't been tarred for past two decades. The reduced rate of cashew nuts has put cultivators in deep trouble.
Speaking about their plight, an angry villager said, “Forget job reservation, the leadership has become so insensitive that it has no sympathy for an orphan girl from the village who we had requested to provide a small-time government job."
Sita Velip, a vegetable grower, said, “Every time there is an election we vote religiously. But what we get in return is the lowest cashew price and even lowered dignified life. We will surely rethink this time.”
Pravin Velip, a local, said, “The reduced yield and the lowered price has been a double whammy on our age-old traditional business.”
Kalpesh Velip said, “Our village has produced three national level kho-kho players. Sadly, the village does not have a single sports ground where the athletes can practice.” Speaking on jobs, he said that they are done waiting for a government job and have taken up jobs with less salaries rather than remaining unemployed.
Two-time panch of Morpirla, Paik Velip slammed the leaders and MLAs who were elected for so many years.
“The politicians we supported every time couldn't even get our roads tarred. Former Minister Prakash Shankar Velip who knows the plight of our village and the cashew farmers has only kept silent all this while. We are not falling for their tricks anymore,” he added.
The villagers are being charged for water supplied from the hilltop spring in the village which people used and protected all these years.
These and many factors have posed a serious question on the idea of social upliftment of the government through its schemes.
But more importantly, the plight of Morpirla, is a like postcard from the grassroots that will not be seen or felt in the din of breaking news or statements. But this plight is a reality which hits home and hard.
