By Damayanti Bhowmik | Key Project Personnel
Dear Firends,
This is the first report for project Enhance Access to Water for 750 Families in India in 2014, and we the team from SNS Foundation implementors of the project take this opportunity to thank our benefactors who have supported us for close to 2 years now and wish them and their families a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.
In our report posted on November 30, 2012, the initiative taken to improve the drinking water situation in Village Belpali was discussed. Just to recap, in Village Belpali, using Global Giving funds a 10,000 litre storage tank was constructed which was connected to the village well fitted with a pump. The water from the tank is distributed across the village through 14 stand posts positioned at strategic points.
Further in the report shared on March 12, 2013 it was reported that village Belpali has constituted an administrative body comprising mainly of women. This administrative body had decided for each of the 62 households in the village to contribute INR 40 (approx. 77 cents) towards the maintenance of this drinking water facility. With contributions coming in the village paid its first community electricity bill of INR 4000.
Thereafter, the village community of Belpali realised that the local government body at the village level, Gram (meaning village) Pachayat (a body comprising of 'five'/'panch' elected members from the village) receives funds from the Zila Parishad (at the District Level) for maintaining such essential village infrastructure. With this information the villagers approached SNS Foundation and urged the Foundation staff to facilitate communication with the local elected representative to the State Legislative Assembly. They want Ms. Nirmala Gavit, who should authorize the Zila Parishad and thereby the Gram Panchayat, to pick up recurring costs of maintainance and electricity bills that are incurred in running the drinking water project.
SNS Foundation field coordinator, Mrs. Jaswanti Chaudhari, met with Ms. Nirmala Gavit on Sunday, December 15 (photograph 1) and explained the above to her. Mrs. Gavit, known for her active and prompt response to resolving situations, has issued necessary orders to the Zila Parishad for authorising the Gram Panchayat to pay for regular maintainance costs. Attached letter from the Zila Parishad both in Marathi (local language) and translated in English, discusses this instruction.
This is a fine example of common men and women taking on governance bodies for claiming what is their right instead of shying away from power and authority.
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