Island to get better facilities after decades

VADODARA: Cut off from mainland by about half-a-km, residents of an small island in the Panam dam will now get basic amenities. Without power and other infrastructure, the residents had been struggling since decades now.
Simlet village had submerged in the Panam reservoir around 1974. The residents there were rehabilitated in the Mordungra and Kalali villages in Panchmahal district. While the project-affected persons left the village at that stage, some started returning to the village as it was still accessible by a boat.

What had made returning back very lucrative was the fact that the island that had around 100 acres of land was very fertile and suitable for fishing. From a stray few, the population of the island increased to around 570. As many as 64 houses also came up on the island. Despite having settled there, the residents did not have facilities like power and roads on the island.

In an attempt to ensure that they were not completely cut off, the government provided the village with a boat and bore the charges for the boat contract. Ever since the Mahisagar district was carved out, the village faced another predicament – while it was under the revenue areas of Mahisagar district, it fell under the Panchmahal district panchayat.

“The villagers have been given access to government schemes and have Aadhar, Ma Amrutam card and other benefits. The children are admitted to a school in the Mehlan village under which the island falls,” said Panchmahal district collector S K Langa. He added that bore wells and hand pumps had also been provided at the village for water.

But the biggest issue at the village was electricity and it had to rely on diesel or kerosene pumps to draw water for irrigation. Langa, who had sent a team of officials to the island recently to meet the villagers and understand their needs, said that the villagers could be given solar power. He added that the Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd was being requested to lay an underwater cable to the village so that it got regular power supply.

Another key demand of the villagers was internal roads that will now be provided. He added that services like access to fair price shop (FPS), health and others will be provided to the village by ensuring that a FPS shop owner and a doctor visits the island once a week. “One such service can be provided on their doorstep on every day of the week,” Langa said.

For education, two rooms for students of Class I to V have been approved at the village. An anganwadi will also be provided there. “We decided to understand their situation and provide facilities on humanitarian grounds despite Simlet falling under the revenue area of Mahisagar district,” said Langa.