Issue

A tale of Vavurla 

While successive governments in Goa have claimed development as their core agenda, the condition of a mountain village called Vavurla in Quepem Constituency speaks a different story. Besides being completely cut out from the rest of Goa in the absence of a motor-able road, it is devoid of basic infrastructural facilities -- thanks to the apathy of the political representatives & authorities. 

Archana Velip (20), a resident of the mountain village of Vavurla, walks for over an hour through the steep and winding mountain, everyday, to get to the nearest road to take a bus to go to her college in Canacona taluka, which is further located some 20 kms away from here. Scaling the mountain, through a dense forest, to get back home is even more risky, and takes her an hour-and-a-half. 

Her day starts as early as 5 am. "With no toilet facilities in our households, women wake up early, before dawn, to relieve themselves. Its risky in the rains as wild animals and snakes are plenty. The women here are used to holding themselves throughout the day and in case of pressing need, venture only after dusk," laments the young woman who along with her mother and younger sisters walk through the forest in search of bushes to answer nature's call.

Despite the risks and discomfort associated with the mountain travel, Archana is determined to complete her graduation, a rare feat here. In the absence of a motor-able road to the village, the over 200 tribal population from Vavurla in Barcem panchayat of the Quepem constituency have absolutely no access to even basic, leave alone higher education.

Some 300 villagers comprising of women, children and elders, have been treading this mountain path everyday just to connect to the nearest road in Padi village, some 17 km away from Vavurla, through which the NH-17 passes --  to access public transport to commute to Quepem or Canacona for their regular purchases besides for availing health, educational or recreational facilities.

A few children of the 40 odd families that reside atop Vavurla who go to school, have to trudge this treacherous path to get to the nearest school in Gaondongrim on the other side of the mountain. "This is the biggest hurdle in the way of our children's education, so parents prefer they remain home. A few who go to school live with their relatives in Canacona or Quepem," informs Savitri Velip, a mother of three.

Another villager, Shevanti Velip, 20 something, is six months pregnant. "I will be leaving for my mother's home in Cotigao where I will stay till delivery as its risky to remain in the village while I am about to enter the seventh month," she cries.

In the absence of a road, this village has remained excluded from even basic primary health care system. "The nearest hospital is the primary health centre at Balli or Canacona, over 15km away. Even the sick requiring urgent medical care are carried on makeshift stretchers down the steep mountain path making it worst when the patients are children or pregnant women," informs tribal leader Rupesh Velip who is assisting the villagers for a long time now.

Ironically, despite several pleas by the villagers to give them motor-able roads and transport to commute, the only time some arrangement is done to facilitate their travel is on the election day when candidates provide vehicles to transport the voters down the dangerous narrow mud road, built by villagers, on one edge of the mountain.  "Every time candidates come to ask for votes, we demand a road. They promise us and we vote. But they forget once elections are over. The next time we see them is after another 5 years and the story goes on," explains Archana.

But not anymore...
The villagers are now determined to fight for their basic rights --  basic amenities. "The plight of these people and the primitive conditions they live in shocked us when were on a door to door campaign in this village during Assembly elections. Villagers had explained to us their woeful tale of betrayal by politicians and political parties. It was then that we promised the villagers that post election their cause would be taken up to ensure their demands for basic facilities, primarily a motor-able road would be fulfilled by the authorities,' recalls local leader Patricia Fernandes.

Accordingly, these leaders fundamentally believes in empowering citizens to fight for their rights -- engaged with the Vavurla villagers several times after the elections. Goa Women Front members --some 18 of them, in early June, held a meeting with the villagers, explaining to them their rights for a life of dignity with basic facilities. At this meeting, the villagers decided to place their demands in front of the authorities, for the first time.

"The villagers for the first time felt empowered as no politicians or political parties had enlightened them of their basic rights but merely used them as vote bank. We chose two youth -- Archana and Arjun Velip, as leaders to collect signatures from the villagers and lead the fight to ensure their demands for basic facilities are met," says Patricia.

Subsequently, some 120 villagers on June 30, 2017, petitioned the deputy collector Prashant Shirodkar at the Quepem administrative building, demanding;  1. Piped drinking water. The numerous springs in the mountain are the sole source of drinking water supply to the village. 2. A tarred access to road of about 8-10 kms. 3. Street lights and immediate measures to replace the tilting electricity polls. 4. A primary school to be built on 500 sq mts of land provided by villagers to build a school. 5. Primary health centre on the same land. 6. Build toilet facilities for every household or atleast a few common ones.

"The tribal funds can be used to finance these facilities. Let politicians not merely look at us as vote bank and statistic, but as assets who will together help build a better Goa," opined another tribal leader Adv. John Fernandes. 

   

For the past 20 years, the MLA has only been promising the villagers a road while seeking their votes but forgets all about it after elections. What sort of development is the government boasting when its people are still lacking even basic facilities," he  have spenquestions. 

We have spent all our lives in this condition. We do not want our children to suffer like we did. If the government does not come to our rescue now, we will be left with no alternative but to agitate," warns village elder Bhikari Velip with hope that their only dream of a road primarily connecting them to the rest of Goa, becomes a reality -- soon.