Maharashtra: Tribal Pardhi Community Is Still Fighting For Water, Other Basic Needs In Ahmednagar District
Siddhi Dharmadhikari
Ahmednagar, 27th May 2022: The tribal Pardhi community has been living near Kolai Devi in Kolgaon, Taluka Shrigonda, District Ahmednagar, and Vitekarwadi for the last several years. A total of 75 men and women and children live in this area. These people are finding it very difficult to meet the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter.
It is seen that there is no drinking water facility in this tribal Pardhi community. Reportedly, the Gram Panchayat also does not take notice of the issues faced by the people. In these harmful heat waves, little boys and girls from this community are wandering for water.
On these issues, Santosh Bhosale, District Coordinator of Lokadhikar Andolan Sanghatana, made a Facebook post writing about the community’s struggles and needs. He asked for the settlement in the form of a hand pump near Kolaidevi of Tanker and Vethekarwadi. If the hand pump is repaired, it will benefit the tribal people and the devotees coming to the Khandoba temple.
Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar did a Satyagraha for Chavdar Lake at Mahad. Many years later, the situation is still the same for this Pardhi community. Sujan Vyakti and Lokadhikar Andolan Sanghatana are demanding that the Gram Panchayat Office Kolgaon, Tehsil Office Shrigonda, and Panchayat Samiti Office Shrigonda should show sympathy and provide water to this settlement.
Through the Facebook post, he stated that “If in the next two days the hand pump near Kolaidevi and five days the water pump at Vethekarwadi is not repaired and water is not provided and as a result, if any child or person dies in this heat waves due to dehydration, then the liable Gram Panchayat Kolgaon, Tehsil Office Shrigonda, Panchayat Samiti Shrigonda will be responsible.”
He further informed that “There will be an agitation under the leadership of the tribal nomadic leader Maharashtra State Adv. Dr Arun Jadhav (Baba) in front of Shrigonda tehsil office if all the demands mentioned above were not fulfilled.”
Santosh Bhosale, District Coordinator, Lok Adhikar Andolan Sanghatana, Narsingh Bhosale, Leader, Lok Adhikar Andolan Sanghatana, Deepak Bhosale, Udashya Bhosale, Shakilya Bhosale, Laldas Bhosale, Bhopaya Bhosale, Shabbir Chavan, Dhyankar Chavan, Outer Chavan, Ganita Bhosale, Omkar Chavan, Janseva Bhosale were present.
