The collective efforts of the villagers of Lafin Kala, Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district, highlight the potential for community action in addressing their development needs. By this slogan “Do your own work”, residents of the village are joining in with their public cooperation and village funds for all projects, rather than waiting for government funds.
The population of Lafin Kala is estimated to be 1200. Villagers say nearly ₹50 lakh worth of development projects have already been completed with the villagers’ help. This includes building of a Temple, repairing of roads, laying of concrete roads and other works in the infrastructure of the village.
The task of concretising the area of approximately 40 thousand square feet of the gauthan in the village has now been carried out by the villagers. Construction on approximately 18,000 square feet of the development is already done and work is still in progress on the remaining area.
During monsoons, residents reported that the gauthan became muddy, and that cattle could not sit on it, which meant that the dung was mixed with the mud. The concrete surface should be suitable to provide a more sanitary and usable pasture area for the cattle. It will also be a bigger space for community programmes and public events.
The village is also witnessing the construction of an attractive temple in the middle of the village pond. The cost of the project is estimated to be around ₹25 lakh and it will be done with public funds.
Villagers have done the work to repair roads to overcome inconveniences they experience during movement around the village, other than these projects.
Those living in the vicinity mentioned that the appointment of Government representatives and the processing of funds may sometimes take a long time, which can hamper development work. Collectively responding to immediate needs instead of relying exclusively on government schemes is what have been their approach.
This is a creditable initiative by the village,” said Mahasamund Collector Vinay Kumar Langeh. Other Gram Panchayats can also take a cue from Lafin Kala to meet local needs for collective action, he said.