Construction of drainage canal: A collective action for self benefit
There used to be lots of water logging in the fields during the rainy season, as the construction of road had blocked the natural drainage. This problem was just limited to the farmers whose fields were located on the other side of the road because the newly constructed road was on the way of natural flow of water. Farmers were not able to take crop during one season of the year because of the water logging. Villagers complained to the block office about the same but no action was taken initially but after some amount of agitation by the villagers they agreed to put the drainage pipe on priority basis. The block official brought the pipe and left it besides the road, near the water logging area. When villagers asked why they are not completing the work now, they told that as labour is not available we will come some other day and install the drainage pipe. But many months passed by but no one came for digging road to put the pipe. Some people, who had the field on the other side of the road, told them not to put the drainage pipe fearing that it will cause the water logging in their fields. The rainy season was about to come but no work was done by the government official fearing the opposition by farmers having land on other side of the road. People repeatedly complained at block office but there was no action from there side. Now people had no option but to wait for the next season as the rains were about to start in few days. During this time some farmers, who were affected on the large scale came together and decide to put the pipe themselves. Now they called the meeting of all the farmers whose lands were affected because of water logging, irrespective of their caste. Everyone decided to contribute a human labour per family. But some well to do farmer were not ready to do physical work so they supplied paid labour for the same. Within few hours they were able to complete the whole work which was bothering them since many years.
The benefits were visible from the beginning then why people took so much time to take the collective action?
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In the village,we had gone in the field work, there was a lift irrigation point which was not working and there was also disposal of garbage on the road side. There was no collective action taken in this regard.It is the pesonal inerest which motivates more and when they individally fail to do it ,they go for collective action and by the time they start the collective action it is very late.
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