Polls hold no promises for waterless Rajasthan village

At Akeli village, which lies a few hundred metres from the border with Pakistan, the December sun is beating hard on the women gathered around a well as they wait patiently for the water level to rise just enough so they can fill their pitchers.

Water is expensive in these parts of the desert state of Rajasthan, which goes to polls on Friday. A private tanker charges as much as Rs 900 for water which, if used sparingly, can meet a family's survival needs for a week. Akeli is the last stop before one touches upon the border with Pakistan. It is three kilometres after the international train station at Munabao, where the Thar Express brings in visitors from across the border. The Border Security Force outpost is barely 5 kilometres away.

"If the water is so scarce in winter, we shudder to think what the summer months will bring," says Sawai Singh, a local standing in the village square among a gathering of men who have just landed home in a small truck from a rally of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party candidate Uday Ram Meghwal. Turn to P2

Other than this, there isn't any activity to indicate the state is bound for an election: no political gatherings or loudspeakers to disturb the still air, nor any party banners flying in the dry winds.

The village falls under the Sheo assembly constituency. Apart from Meghwal, in the poll fray are Congress's Ameen Khan, BJP's Khangar Singh Sodha, Bahujan Samaj Party's Nanaram, and Bahujan Sangharsh Dal's Toga Ram.

Akeli is one of the villages which was taken over by Pakistan during the 1965 war. The villagers fled to safety, and there was not much left when Pakistan gave it up six months after the war, says Sawai Singh. He was about six when the war was fought. Village residents claim that the promise of a functional water tank is made every election, and remains a promise till the next. A tank constructed during the Congress rule in 2012 hasn't been made operational.

There are over 40 wells for a population of over 1,200, and the women start queuing up at one on the other from midnight, in the hope of getting enough. The local school, which has over 150 students on its rolls, runs till Class 8.

But most of the village's young girls who enrolled in the school sit at home as conveyance is hard to come by. Besides, their parents are wary of sending them out far. Over 60 girls have quit school in the last five years, eight of whom dropped out in the last one year.

Village resident Jatna Devi says that a cylinder, which was given to her under the Ujjwal Scheme remains unused. "My husband does not have a job. With four children to raise, I cannot afford to spare money for the gas," she says. She uses a clay chulha. Her eldest son has now taken up work as a daily wager to make ends meet. Her daughter, Santosh, left school this year.

Another local resident, Asha Devi, says that women in queues at the wells sometimes cuss at each when water runs short. The only solution they can think of, is not to have more kids. "Most of the women have decided not to have babies after the second one comes along. It is tough to even be able to bathe. You can't raise children in a waterless land," she says.

Electricity supply is sporadic, as the pylons do not stand up to the violent winds. On most days, there is no power to light or air the houses. In any case, anything beyond a 100-150 watt bulb fails to work with the low voltage.
Masinga Ram, an unemployed youth, rues his fate. "They [Indian government] gave us up in 1965, and since then, they have looked the other way," he says.

Grass Greener On Same Side Of Fence

• In stark contrast to Akeli is Gadra village, a settlement of those who entered India during Partition from Pakistan's Gadra city, roughly up to 10 kilometres across the border.
• Gadra village has struck gold, with its water levels suddenly seeing a rise in the last few months. Situated just two kilometres from the border, with the Thar Express railway line whizzing across it, the village with over 11,000 people is relatively better off. Its sarpanch Raghuvir Singh says that residents have a community health facility, a senior secondary school, and is well connected.