M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Aug 6: The focus from the hoarse cry for the declaration of drought has now shifted to the mitigation of the drought-like situation in Palamu. Now, the poor want mitigation measures to overcome the huge deficit of the rain which is 62 per cent.
Lagatar24.com correspondent spoke to a motley crowd of daily wagers at one of the Mazdoor Markets in Daltonganj Sadik Manzil Chowk. The common refrain was easing the curb on the sand and nearly 20 per cent of the unskilled Rejas (women who work in building construction) will get everyday employment.
These Rejas repeated that the crisis of sand has affected their employment much as today they are engaged according to the availability of sand and not of the cement bags which abound in the cement market.
The second demand was the raising of the meadows and the pastures for the cattle.
They suggested that all government ‘partee zameen’ be at this drought-like situation be doubled up as the course of the grassland which in a span of time will overcome the shortage of fodder here.
Palamu Deputy Development Commissioner Megha Bhardwaj was in a pottery promotional programme at the railway platform number 1 today where lagatar24.com correspondent asked her during ‘walk the talk’ about the mitigation measures to overcome the rain deficit situation in Palamu.
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The DDC admitted that Palamu is a running companion for the deficiency of rain and the three years data of the rainfall if taken in a combined way, makes it only a little short of the rain deficit cap of a little over 33 per cent as indicated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
“We have been streamlining food supply through the public distribution system and in cases where the poor have no access to food let this be intimated to us immediately. We would take care of such individuals or families struggling for food,” the DDC said.
Old-timers claim long dry spells, and extreme rain conditions where a pocket has rain but just two kilometres away from this pocket it is Sun out there, are some of the precursors of the drought in Palamu and today these extreme features are noticeable.
Fast-growing fruit trees that survive in the scanty rain like Sitafal be grown in all such lands.
Earthwork is labour intensive. It gives maximum rural employment. Palamu has 260 plus panchayats and every panchayat here has its own distinct need. There are panchayats which have the capacity of supplying a huge bulk of vegetables, some panchayats grow garlic and lemon, some pomegranate and cashew nuts even etc.
Sources said illicit liquor making shoots up in a drought-like situation in Palamu and it is all set to increase again.
