Valpoi: Come Assembly polls, come panchayat polls. Results are subsequently declared with much fanfare. Some areas benefit. Some are “gone with the wind” – into oblivion, literally. Kazaredhat is one such remote village in Valpoi constituency, located 15 km from Valpoi town. The village falls under the wildlife sanctuary. There isn’t any road. The villagers’ quest for potable water hasn’t ended yet and “power” to people? The village is literally “poles” apart where electricity is still a distant dream.
It’s obvious that a village with so many shortcomings would not have a school and Angawadi services too even after 50 years!
Children from this village have to tread quite a while to the neighbouring village for education. In this village, there are 37 houses, divided into two vaada that is Bandirwada and Kazaredhat. In Bandirwada, there are 20 houses and at Kazaredhat there are 17 houses. There are 150 voters and the population is 300. And the village comes under Savardem Panchayat, which is a backward Panchayat in Sattari.
From this village, almost 30 children have to trudge 8 km daily to reach a school. As there are no roads, the school bus doesn’t reach our village. Children have to risk their lives as the village is surrounded by the wildlife sanctuary.
After going through rigmarole, on a daily basis, our children reach late. Also the senior kids who have made it to college, the ordeal is the same. They have to depend on car lifts etc and have a hell of a time reaching their educational institutes,” said Sukto Mahadev Gawade, a villager.
“We have been given a single phase electricity connection for our homes and lights are very dull. Even that supply is not for 24 hours. The dullness affects our eyes and is a huge dampner to our chidlren’s education. It is needless to say that there are no streetlights in our village,“ said another villager Pandurang Jivlo Gawade.
“We don’t have supply of potable water and it is hell during the summers with the wells going dry. Only during the monsoon we “get” some water!” laments Yamuna Gawade.
Publication date June 16 2017
