Nirnay John Chettri
Mankind in Action for Rural Growth
Marg.org
After lot of struggle and difficulties for the past eighteen months the villagers of Dukka, Tanderbong, Pabuk, Changsing, Kagey and Linsey have a reason to smile now as they have almost completed constructing approx 4 km road which they feel would be their lifeline in the days to come.
In our country even today there are villages where there are no roads and electricity. Dukka is one of them. One can visit Dukka a tiny village of 127 houses mostly tribal which is just an hour’s trek from Algarah (Kalimpong) and experience and see how much this village has been neglected. The villagers have been fighting against the rough terrain in their day to day work.
Fr. Paul Sitling (Parish Priest of Maria Basti) has been working very hard for the past eighteen months in motivating villagers not only from his Parish but from other villagers like Dukka, Changsing, Tanderbong, Pabuk, Kagey and Lingsey where villagers from different cast and creed work together for a common goal.
It’s heartening to see villagers trekking for two to three hours to reach Dukka and join the local villagers there in constructing the road. More over one can see and feel their love when they all sit under a shade and share their food with one another when they break for lunch.
The road is nearing for completion and eighteen months have passed by BUT till date there has been no support from the government. It is even more surprising that even after the local newspaper flashing this news several times not even a single government official has visited this village. Where have all the schemes like National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) gone?
On behalf of the villagers Mankind in Action for Rural Growth (MARG) has sent a memorandum with photos and video to the Honorable Minister of Rural Development and to the Secretary, New Delhi. An online grievance from NREGA website has also been sent to the concerned person. An official from UNDP, working under NREGA has assured that he will look into this matter. The villagers are still waiting and expects that one day their voices would be heard by the government
How LONG should the villagers wait??
-Nirnay John Chettri (MARG)
Kalimpong.info 