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God, they say, helps those who help themselves. In a quiet corner
of God's earth in Solan district in Himachal Pradesh, residents
from two dozen villages helped themselves. But there was no
assistance from God or officialdom-who often think they are closer
to Him than most.
Over five decades, 2,000 memorandums were submitted to the powers
that be in government, asking for a bridge to connect Chamba and
Malaun parganas with Ramshahr town. When that failed, 20,000
affected locals ignored officialdom and built one themselves: a
bridge 173-ft long and 5-ft wide, constructed at a cost of Rs 7
lakh in 105 days. And as they celebrated their triumph to the
thumping of drums at the inauguration of the bridge last month, the
state's former chief minister Shanta Kumar acknowledged their
efforts: "It's a shining example of development through public
participation."
The administration was hardly as encouraging, though, when the
villagers begged that the bridge be built. "We grew grey making
the demand but it proved to be a cry in the wilderness," says Dev
Raj. 70, a farmer from Panjali village. Four times-on the eve of
assembly elections-surveys were carried out for the construction.
And four times-once the elections were over-the plans fell through.
"The PWD men marked the proposed site for the bridge. They never
returned after the polls," says Jugla Ram, a poor farmer from
Nanoha village.
Anger and resentment bred in the villagers a firm resolve. For
years, in summer and winter, they had to wade through waist-deep
water to go from Chamba and Malaun to Ramshahr. And during the
monsoon, when the Ghambar swelled and overflowed, they were
completely cut off. "It was like living in a huge prison, " recalls
Hem Raj Thakur, 26, who grows vegetables for a living. The 150-odd
children had to stop going to school during the monsoon. Flash
floods were common and every year, cattle and people were swept
away. Unable to transport crops from their fields, the villagers
lost money every season. "By the time the waters receded, either
the crops perished or the prices crashed," says Ram Log, 26, a
farmer from Panjali.
Three years ago-after a massive loss of cash crops and the death of
four villagers-the simmering anger boiled over. The villagers
formed a 2 5-member Jhoola Nirman Samiti (Bridge Building Society)
and approached two local contractors, H.N. Singh and Deepak Kumar,
with the plea: You build bridges for the Government, now build one
for us. The project began in December 1996. Donations poured in,
from Jugla Ram's Rs 5 to Hem Raj Thakur's Rs 500. Those who
couldn't give any money, offered to chisel stones. mix mortar and
do other odd jobs. They carried 12 tonnes of building material on
their heads from Chamdar-the nearest motorable spot-2 km away from
the site. Savati Devi, a widow who runs a watermill on the banks
of the Ghambar, often offered free meals to the workers. The
contractors-both experts in bridge construction-bought the raw
material from dealers to cut costs and offered their sheds as
workshops.
"It's a laudable effort on their part," says state PWD Minister
J.B.L. Khachi. Today, the villagers savour a sense of fulfilment.
"We have shown the Government how we can do it ourselves," boasts
Yashoda, a local housewife who contributed Rs 50 while her husband
chipped in with his labour. Their resolve seems to be showing
others the way. Residents in the remote village of Lusan are
constructing a 5-km link road, having given up on the state
Government.
Yashoda recalls how she was stranded for three days during the
monsoon last year when she went visiting relatives across the
Ghambar. Now she has a bridge over troubled waters to fall back
on.
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