Bhopal, Mar 2: Anti Encroachment Squad of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished the illegal construction, which was developed as Milk Booth near Parking Spot of Bus Stop Number 10 and Amaltas Colony, Chunabhatti, Kolar Road on Sunday.

The Illegal constructions were demolished with the help of JCB machine. Rajendra Kumar Gupta, resident of Flat Number 41, Amaltas Colony, Chunabhatti built illegal construction (as against building permission). He was issued notice for removing illegal construction but any action was not taken regarding this matter. As per the direction of Building Permission Section of BMC, anti encroachment squad demolished the illegal construction of 600 sq/ft on Sunday.

Crops swaying in Dhadekawara despite drought

By Our Staff Reporter

Bhopal, Mar 2: Many villages in Panna district are facing shortage of water. But there is a village in Ajaygarh Janpad where four crops are being procured in a year despite drought. This has been made possible with the help of District Poverty Initiative Project (DPIP).

With the help of this project a Women's Self-Help Group has left men behind. The hands which were raised for asking for employment are now giving employment. Due to availability of green fodder in ample quantity, the number of cattle owned by women of the group has gone up considerably and they are earning extra income by selling milk. Not only this, but crops are swaying at the lands of many farmers that once craved for irrigation water due to water supplied by Women's Self-Help Group.

Just a few years back, the condition of scheduled caste habitat of Dhandekawara village, about five kilometres from Ajaygarh, was so bad that water was available in the lone well there only during the monsoon season and it would go dry soon. Residents of the habitat were forced to migrate to other areas for earning a livelihood. In the meantime, 40-years-old Ms Hiriya Bai of this community visited Ajaygarh, where she came to know of DPIP, which also extends help for efforts of water conservation. Representative of the project told her that if the people of her community carry out some steps, then green crops could also sway in their dry farms.

The project representatives who visited Dhandkawara on the insistence of women belonging to schedule castes, put the condition of forming a Self-Help Group if they wanted to see swaying green crops in their fields. This condition was accepted by the women without any delay and with this started a campaign which bettered the lot of families belonging to this community. These five women, who formed Kherapati Samhit Swasahayata Samooh, once used to beg for loans to meet their requirements. But now they are extending loans to others. Not only this, but they also give money to their husbands for their expenditures.

Hiriya Bai, owner of one of the farms, says that the project had given to the group Rs 20 thousand for vegetable production and Rs 21,500 for purchasing diesel pump for irrigation purposes and deepened the well at a cost of Rs 40 thousand.

The results started to come to the fore soon. Water reached the fry fields and crops started to sway there. Now despite drought water remains available in this well round the year. This self-help group is earning Rs 300 per day from vegetables alone. The group earns Rs one lakh per annum from vegetables, Rs 25 thousand from linseed, Rs 20 thousand from paddy and Rs two thousand from cardamom apart from earning Rs 50 thousand per annum by supplying water for the fields of other farmers.