The Unsung Frontline Warriors: How Gram Pradhans In Uttarakhand’s Hill Districts Are Protecting Villages And Villagers

The inflow of returning migrants arriving from other states to Zarajibli village in Dharchula block of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, began on 5 May. Sanjeev Singh, head of the village, gives this piece of information over the phone. A quick flipping of pages can be heard in the background.

He says, "Iktaalis. Forty one people have arrived in the village so far from outside. Many of them were from Haridwar, Pune, Delhi and Mumbai." The village is 35 odd kilometres from Pithoragarh district's border with Nepal.

Covid-19 has seen two kinds of movements in this border district of Uttarakhand: one, of migrant workers from India's neighbour Nepal moving back home, and second, of migrant workers who hail from the district, arriving from other states.

Zarajibli village, Singh mentions, has handled things well so far.

Receiving the returning migrants from other states required Singh to ensure the safety of the resident villagers and percolate the awareness on social distancing norms, down to every home. He also had to ensure that the quarantine centres to be carved out from the available infrastructure in the village met the requirements.

Singh readied "seven schools" in the village, a number he proudly states, to accommodate the returning migrants. When the migrant workers arrived, they found the material and ration to cook their own food at the quarantine centres. This one aspect is important to everyone.

It cuts the possibility of the resident villagers around the quarantine centres, besides ensuring that the quarantined returnees get the freshly cooked meals on time. Cleaning and sanitising of the rooms after the returnees leave for homes, is part of Singh's new set of responsibilities.

Security and safety of the villages is paramount.

Heads Of The Village -- Literally

Singh is one of the many pradhans in the state who have taken the challenges of quarantining the returnees to the villages with a sense of parental responsibility.

Pradhans came to the forefront in the fight against Covid-19 in villages amid the returning of the migrants, last month.

The work is done with coordination and harmony between the village and block levels.

Schools that lie in the heart of the village, or in close proximity to the village/s, are being given a miss.

In the view of the increasing positive cases in the state, the Uttarakhand government has extended the quarantine period for returnees from 14 to 21 days.

This period includes seven days of institutional quarantine for migrants returning from 75 districts across the country. With this new norm, the villages in the hill districts are expected to get an extra shield against the threat of coronavirus.

The quarantining at the village facilities, after these migrants move over from the institutional quarantine, is an essential halt before they move over to their homes.

Last week, the number of infections in Uttarakhand crossed the 1,000 mark. This week, the figure, as per reports has crossed 1,400. The concern over the infection rate in the hill districts is amid the growing number of migrant workers returning to the state. These workers have travel history.

The tough terrain of the hill districts requires that the quarantining, social distancing, cleanliness and hygiene are taken with utmost seriousness.

Persistence -- The Mantra at "Panchayati" Quarantine

Alert village pradhans in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand are using caution, common sense and intra-inter village camaraderie to fight the threat of Covid-19.

A fascinating but expected aspect seems to be brewing in Bhantola village in Kapot block, Bageshwar district. Folks here seem to be stressing on seven more days of essential quarantining of the returnees. Lalit Prasad Joshi, pradhan of Bhantola, says that it is for the safety of the village.

The additional seven days of the quarantine period at the village level seems to have acquired the name -- "Panchayati quarantine".

Joshi is part of a phone group of pradhans (from the surrounding villages). A list of returnees arrives with all details of vehicles and mobile details.

The vehicles, carrying the returnees, are verified and received. If the returnees are coming from the same city/town, they are placed in the quarantine facility accordingly. They are placed as per zones. Resident villagers communicated the developments and explained the process.

The residents of Shrikot village of Pauri Garhwal district have maintained a strict vigil on the entry and exit of people.

Ram Singh Khatri, who has been instrumental in making arrangements for the returnees, has been focussing on the small details, such as, the safety of people who bring food for the people quarantined. Khatari told Swarajya that every aspect of safety should be the responsibility of the village and the people of the village.

The running common sentiment is: "Sarkar kahan tak karegi, hamari zimmedari bhi hai."

Nearly 50 people have arrived in Jogadee village of Pauri Garhwal district's Khirsu block as per pradhan Anil Singh. Among them were returnees from Maharashtra, Delhi and Chandigarh.

The villagers are not enthusiastic to help Singh -- perhaps owing to fear of infection or risks to their health.

Singh says, "I don't mind it and do my own job. The stocks of bleach and sanitiser are now getting exhausted. I had to arrange for phenyl, a disinfecting agent, to keep snakes at bay at the quarantine centres."

Lessons in Disguise

Panchayat bhawans and schools in the villages have emerged as the first and the obvious choice for quarantining returnees. Houses that are lying vacant owing to out-migration are also proving to be useful in some villages.

Village houses that were lying vacant due to out-migration are coming handy where returnee members from a single family, including women and children have to be quarantined.

Some of the quarantined migrants prepare their own food from the ration given from the block. Villagers pitch in the rest.

Pradhans of other villages in the hill districts told Swarajya that the cooking of food at the quarantine centres by the quarantined returnees is advantageous. It helps in maintaining social distancing norms.

The passing on of cooked food from the village folks to the people quarantined requires extra hands. This means risk and people contact.

The quarantined returnees in Jogadee village in Pauri Garhwal are supposed to keep the bedding outside after use -- everyday.

In Sumari village of Pauri Garhwal, Satyadev, has utilised the village barat ghar, which was also used for the huge gatherings of the Bhagawad katha sessions, for spreading the quarantine-related work.

The threat of Covid-19 has made Mahargaon in Uttarkashi's Puraula block arrive at a solid opportunity for skills integration.

Here, pradhan Dharmendra held a meeting of bhojan matas (women who prepare the meals), anganwadi workers and the gram praharis (protectors of the village) at the beginning of their preparation for the homecoming of folks.

Two village schools, the anganwadi and the panchayat ghar were turned into quarantine centres. The pradhan saw the need for some back up work even during the nights to ensure discipline and social distancing at the centres.

He feared that the quarantined folks, if not watched over, would go into a chat huddle to kill time. That would defeat the very purpose of quarantining. "I took the help of the women in the team who gave night duties and ensured a strict vigil," he adds.

The team also ensures that the food is safely transferred from the tiffins of cooked food to the plates.

The First Lease Of Challenges

One of the biggest challenges has been the absence of separate toilets for the people in quarantine. To make up for this missing asset, the pradhans are focusing on hygiene and regular sanitising of the toilets by the users.

Ambiguity regarding the funds from the state, for backing the quarantining and social distancing efforts seems to be another grey area.

The gram pradhans, however, are not making it an excuse or hurdle for their work or village safety. They say that funds and reimbursing can be pursued later.

Initially, it was hard to convince villagers and returnees on the importance of the quarantine facilities.

A pradhan in Rikhnikhal block of Pauri Garhwal faced the most anxious moments when a returnee from Noida in Uttar Pradesh headed home. "I reported the matter to the local thana, the patwari and other levels, but no use. Thankfully, the man is alright and his 14 days of quarantine are over."

Local factors complicate issues sometimes.

In Hudoli village of Puraula block of Uttarkashi district, some villagers have issues with the SDM. They are not sure about whether the ration -- "two quintals" which was collected and pooled among the villagers has reached "the right people". Who should the ration have gone to? "Migrant workers from Nepal who "work on a dehadi of Rs 300-400" -- comes an answer.

While the pradhans of some villages have mentioned the good work and support from anganwadi workers, the story seems to be different in Gahad village of Dwarikhal block of Pauri Garhwal.

Says a member of the village: "ASHA and anganwadi workers did not cooperate, they say 'humein aadesh nahin' (we don't have the orders) and they said it is the pradhan's duty."

The fear of the wild has been a concern for pradhans and the quarantined folk in some villages of the hill districts.

Last month, a minor girl died of a snake bite at a quarantine centre in a village in Nainital district. The unfortunate incident seems to have prompted the gram pradhans in the hill districts to be extra cautious.

Village access from the roads, the challenges thrown by the geographies, lack of health infrastructure, the ups and downs of the travel within the district, are pre-existing. They could add up to the challenges thrown at the villagers in the long fight against the coronavirus threat.

Out Of The Box -- In Tents

In some villages, the immediate needs of the returnee folk are being met with the help of ideas and materials that may not seem flattering at first to an outsider. But they are contributing effectively to the state's long fight against Covid-19.

When Mukesh, the pradhan of Agora village in Uttarkashi district's Bhatiyari block pulled out the 17 tents from his assets for village folks returning from red zone and orange zones, the villagers heaved a sigh of relief.

When the first lot of ten people arrived from red, orange and green zones to Agora last month, Mukesh converted the tents into makeshift quarantine rooms.

"The Panchayat ghar in the village is not in a good condition. There are two schools in the village: a basic school and a primary school. The basic school is in close proximity to the village. It had to be ruled out for quarantining," he says.

The primary school has three rooms. He put the person coming from a red zone in one room, the one from orange zone in another. When the three rooms got used up, the others were put in tents.

He used one of the 17 tents as a store room. "The returnees were given a choice. They said they wanted to be in the tents. All facilities were made available to them," he adds.

Something similar has happened at Bhopati of Nainidanda block in Pauri Garhwal. Gram pradhan Jasoda Rawat tackled the arrival of 45 returnees by housing them in tents for makeshift quarantine centres.

She told Swarajya: "The accommodation in the two village schools was not enough. We brought together the material and bamboo and erected tents. We gave the quarantined folks water and electricity supply and the tents are working just fine even in rains."

The smart blending of ideas and material coming from the pradhans and their teams is of immense value to the villages and people -- considering the terrain many of them are set in.

There is no sign of jubilation or early celebration -- rightly so.

Mukesh vouches for the added seven days of the "Panchayati quarantine" as the most powerful tool for ensuring village safety and decorum. He was expecting 18 more arrivals at Agora when Swarajya spoke to him. He is prepared.

An overlying emotion of the "bhai-bandhu system" (brotherhood and ownership) seems to be a common thread in the villages' fight against Covid-19 in Uttarakhand's hilly areas.

In Zarajibli village in Pithoragarh, pradhan Sanjeev Singh repeatedly refers to "bachche" (children) and "school". It confuses this author.

Who does Singh refer to as "bachche"?

Singh refers to the returnee migrants as "children". "Gaanv ke bachche -- matlab hamare hi bachche." The residents of the village are his children. The looming threat of coronavirus infections is bringing the residents back to the villages.

In happier times, the gram pradhans would have had the time and space to celebrate the returning of migrants to Uttarakhand's hill districts. Covid-19 has reset their guardianship, duty and protection.