Model villages in our backyard have it all

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11 launched the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, under which Lok Sabha MPs are to choose a village panchayat from within their constituency to ensure overall development of the village. TOI focuses on four villages from four parliamentary constituencies, which have become the toast of their taluks.
Gumgol village:
Big pluses: Good roads, no open defacation as 80% houses have toilets, good library Entertainment: Wrestling competitions, gym (garadi mane), watching mythological plays
Ten years ago, the villagers of Gumgol had to trek 8-10 km to fetch drinking water from neighbouring villages.Today, every house gets pure piped drinking water. The village is perhaps the first in the state to register 100% water tax collection every year, besides regular tax.
Gumgol is 30km from Dharwad, near Morab, and falls under Navalgund assembly constituency and Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency.
With its well-laid cement roads, drainage network, over 200 solar streetlights, and a waste management unit, the village has set an example to other villages. Panchayat development officer Jagadish Hadapad and his team have won several awards from the Centre -- for best Gram Sabha, cleanliness, besides the Gandhi Puraskar. Fakkirgouda Rudragouda Kallangouda, former GP president, said: “We decided to solve basic problems. We collect Rs 40 per month from each house as water tax; those who don’t pay don’t get their PDS ration. This revenue is utilized for development.’’ A few years ago, the village got a connection from the Malaprabha drinking water project and set up a filter unit, through which filtered water is supplied to every household for one hour a day. In the next three months, the GP plans to complete work on toilets to achieve 100% sanitation. For medical treatment, villagers go to the PHC in Morab, 2km away. GP member Teertappa Sangappa Halemani said dustbins have been put up at every corner to collect garbage. A ‘plastic bhavan’ has been set up to dump plastic. The villagers are now looking for a solution for their power woes.
Bannur Gram Panchayat:
Big pluses: Toilets in all homes, drinking water, electricity, connected by 10km road to NH-48 Entertainment -- TV, cinema at Puttur town, Yakshagana
Villagers of Bannur, in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, are delighted that the gram panchayat of three villages that bagged the Nirmal Gram Puraskar in 2004, has bagged the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan Award in 2014. The credit goes to BJP leader Udayakumar Pervody, GP president for four consecutive terms. Pervody, 38, had the privilege of receiving both awards, and drives developmental activity. In his 10-year tenure, Pervody has provided complete sanitation. With well-maintained roads, two government schools, six anganwadis, a library, post office and clean environment, the GP is considered a model one by Dakshina Kannada ZP and the Centre government. The serene green village, 56km from Mangalore city, is not polluted by factories or industries. Many here work as labourers and beedi workers. Pervody says the people in Bannur, Chikkamudnur and Padnur villages are cooperative. “We get only Rs 8 lakh per year from the government for development, and there is no other income. The village is well maintained because of an awareness drive in the villages by the 12 elected members, with special emphasis on open defecation,” Pervody said. PC Bharathi, an anganwadi worker in Gundijalu, said GP authorities help her maintain a safe, child-friendly anganwadi, and sanctions are provided on time. An average of 10 tons of solid waste from Puttur town is dumped at a yard in a portion of Bannur village. The land, though, comes under Puttur town limits. Shantharam Nayak, PDO of Bannur, said, “Hard work and dedication by elected members, staff and villagers brought in the awards.”
Suttur village, Mysore district
Big pluses: Good roads, health insurance, free dental service
Entertainment – Suttur jathre
It’s 1pm and the government health facility at Suttur is crowded with patients, where doctor and supporting staff are attending to patients. The primary health centre is well-maintained and stocked with medicines. All the villagers here have health insurance. Fifteen years ago, Suttur, 25km from Mysore city, was facing a severe water and power crisis but with the intervention of Suttur mutt pontiff Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji, the village is getting prime attention.
Under Sampoorna Swachatha Andolana, 400 toilets for individual households and two community toilets have been constructed. Drinking water is provided under the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Supply scheme. The Kapila river water gives a yield of three crops a year. Nearly 85% of people are into agriculture, mainly cultivation of paddy and sugarcane. “People get uninterrupted water and power supply. But there is scope for improvement; the interior roads need to be improved, we’ve proposed that a 1.5km road be asphalted,” panchayat development officer M Manjula said.“Compared to neighboring villages, Suttur has better roads, water and power. But it doesn’t have a high school and college, and students have to travel 16-25km to the neighbouring villages. Our MLA, CM Siddaramaiah, should sanction a high school and college at the earliest. Underground drainage should also be improved,” M Nanjunda Nayak, a village elder, said. VVIPs keep flooding Suttur mutt, especially during the annual Suttur jathre, and this has ensured broad, quality roads which are free of potholes right from Mysore. The village has no liquor shop and if anyone consumes liquor and creates a nuisance, he is fined Rs 1,000-2,000.
Honnudukae village, Tumkur district
Big pluses: Piped water supply, concrete roads, toilets in every house, school and college
Entertainment - Mythological plays
Honnudukae, 18 km from Tumkur city, has it all – water supply from the Hemavathy, concrete roads, good drain network, sewage connections, streetlights. This is a far cry from the situation five years ago, when the village depended on rain, the roads were pathetic, sewage water from the houses was let into the streets. Most of the homes had no toilets. During summer, the villagers struggled for drinking water and carried pots from private farms 2-3km away. The primary health centre didn’t work well, and emergency cases were shifted to Tumkur. But now, Honnudukae has undergone a complete transformation and become a model village.
MLA B Suresh Gowda, who has spearheaded development work in the village, ensured the Hebbur-Gulur upper lift irrigation project was completed and the region got rid of its water problem. The GP has utilized the NREGA scheme well. It has cement concrete roads, streetlights and a good network of drains, connecting every house. The village has a government primary school and college, housed in good buildings with all infrastructure facilities. Narasamma, a villager, said: “We have all basic facilities now. Five years ago, we were struggling for infrastructure. Our children are very happy about the facilities in the school.’’ Honnudukae GP president Shivaraj said: “The only problem we had was doctors weren’t visiting the primary health centre. Recently, we resolved that too.’’