Rajula

from this proud village there were my college budy in mahuva sc college during my stay in hostel there (1970-1975). he is mr.laxmikant purohit. his father was wellknowl dr in this village if any one has information regarding my friend, please let me know on my e-mail address, i would appreciate for your afforts.

dipak

“R U KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT RAJULA???”

It could have been business as usual in Rajula village, 70 kms from Amreli, but for the unusual circumstances of running it under a perpetual cover of dust clouds. For shops, schools and the civil hospital on the two-kilometre stretch from the Clock Tower to the session’s court, life is pure hell.

With morning comes dust, kicked up by the nearly 600 trucks that ply daily on the busy road connecting Amreli to the centres of business activity Ultratech Cement, Narmada Cement, Pipavav Shipyard Ltd., E-Complex Pvt. Ltd. and Gujarat Pipavav Port Limited (GPPL).

``While the urbanites have a clear conscience having shifted industrial units to outskirts of cities, it is rural India which is now the target of pollution that is caused indirectly by these units,'' said Gagan Sethi, head of Janvikas, an NGO that has taken up the fight against pollution in rural areas.

Rajula is just a case in point where with the installation of the Rs 1,600 crore (appx.) L&T cement few years ago (which is Ultratech Cement now), has come progress and prosperity but at a price. The flip side is dust and noise pollution.

The main reason behind the clouds of haze is the narrow dilapidated road which has been reduced to a dust track now. The last time it was repaired was ten years back while the traffic has grown at least 50 times.

With no technical figures available, the health symptoms are enough to prove that it has reached hazardous levels. ``I eat a pill for headache everyday. And by evening one can't open ones eyes properly because it feels like somebody has shoved dust into it,'' said Mahesh Giri, who owns a tyre shop in the area. Dust allergies, sore throat and bronchial infections are slowly surfacing.

``Such cases have doubled in the last three years,'' says Dr Muchadia, who used to be the head of the civil hospital but now has his own private hospital, situated at a safe distance from this treacherous road, as he quickly points out.

Because of long exposure to the dust-laden atmosphere, at least one shop-keeper is down with fever every month. ``The sale of medicines for dust allergy on the skin has increased manifold,'' said the owner of the Patel Medicine Store, which is situated on the same road. ``Some of our medicines also get spoilt because of the dust,'' he added.

At the four schools, including the primary schools situated on the road, children can be seen covering their noses with a cloth. ``It is even more hazardous for them because they are more vulnerable. The results will only show a few years from now,'' added the doctor. Because of the heavy congestion and traffic, at least 10 major accidents have happened over a period of last one year.

But people are putting up with it. The silence is linked to the sudden prosperity which is hard to cope with. The most obvious indicator is the price of land which has increased from Rs 5,000 per acre to Rs 20 lakh per acre. The rents have increased from Rs 500 for a single room house to Rs 3,000. STD booths, paan laaris and cold-drink stalls are the most obvious beneficiaries, filling the lane chock-a-block.

The problem has a solution which has not been taken heed of because of government apathy. A bypass was sanctioned more than 10 years ago but lies inbuilt. ``The government does not have enough money to build the road,'' says Damor, the PWD deputy engineer. On the other hand, the residents of the village feel it is Ultratech's moral duty do something about the road considering more than 150 Ultratech trucks pass every day. According to officials at Ultratech, they had offered to build the road while the plant was coming up but the government had refused saying it had already invited private tenders.