India plans 'green revolution' in the barren Chambal valley which was ruled by dacoits for over 70 years

Once fertile land of dacoits, to produce green crops

Modi Government is planning a 'green revolution' in over three lakh hectares of land in Bhind Morena and Chambal region--which for almost 70 years produced India’s dreaded dacoits.

Thanks to the World Bank which has agreed in principle to work with Madhya Pradesh government and Centre government to turn this barren region spread in over three lakh hectares into cultivable land.

Union Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had a meeting the senior Representatives of the World Bank, Madhya Pradesh government officials and agriculture scientists and Vice-Chancellor of RVS Agriculture University on Saturday and agreed in principle to go ahead with the project to make 3 lakh hectares land cultivable.

During this meeting, it was decided that a substantive project would be prepared in collaboration and support from the World Bank. Work to prepare a preliminary project report on this has already started early this month and would give its report next month. "The proposed reforms in this project will not only help in improving agricultural development and the environment but also create employment opportunities for the people. Ultimately lead to substantive development of this region,” the Minister said.

The rugged land in the Chambal region is not cultivable. If this area is improved, then it would help in the integrated development of the Bihad area in Gwalior – Chambal region, the Minister said.

Besides this, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is also building the Chambal

The expressway that would pass through this area, by which the overall development of the region would be possible. World Bank Representative Adarsh Kumar said that the World Bank is interested in working with MP government. The Union Agriculture Ministry said all aspects related to technology, infrastructure, capital cost and investment would be taken into consideration prior to initiating the work of the proposed project with minimum budget allocation.

Agricultural Production Commissioner said though this was an old project it was revived under the guidance of the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati keeping in mind the overall agricultural development of the region.

Early this month, Modi Government has also agreed in principle to bring Rs 8200 crore prestigious 404-Kilometre long Chambal Express project into its Bharatmala project, which is going to be a lifeline for the Chambal region—once considered to be a breeding ground for dacoits.

 

Along the 404 kilometres long Expressway that would pass through MP, UP and Rajasthan and connect Bhind and Chambal region with Koka and Kanpur immensely benefitting the area and people of the backward region living along the Expressway.

He further told state governments to develop industrial and commercial clusters along the expressway with the potential of having smart cities, mandis, artisan haats. The Rs 8,200 crore Project passing through and would provide cross connectivity with Golden Quadrilateral's Delhi-Kolkata corridor, North-South Corridor, East-West Corridor and Delhi-Mumbai -Expressway. Centre has already instructed state governments to complete the land acquisition at the earliest and sort out forest, environment and Land acquisition issues in top priority. The project would be an alternate route from Kanpur to Kota, and ultimately join Delhi--Mumbai Corridor –The Lifeline of the country.

Chambal, Bhind and Morena Region

The Chambal, Bhind and Morena region is full of ravines and forest. It falls in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan is more common for its dacoits than then agriculture production. The feudal exploitation and non-cultivable land in the region are considered to be one of the main reasons for the emergency of dacoity in the Chambal valley.

The Poor people, who had little or no cultivable land or who were the victims of landlord’s exploitation took arms to make their livings and revenge feudal exploitation. Since the area was underdeveloped, the banditry also posed great economic incentives. However, there is a contradiction to the theory that poverty forced people to become a dacoit. To their support, they claim that many gangs operating in this valley were composed of higher castes and wealthy people. They said feudalism could only be a partial explanation of dacoity in Chambal valley. Furthermore, traditional honour codes and blood feuds would drive some into criminality.

Organized Chambal dacoits remained in operation from the British Raj to early 2000s. the dacoits used to target local businesses, though they preferred to kidnap wealthy people and demand ransom from their relatives. In the fifties and sixties, they used to cut off fingers, noses, and ears to pressure victim family into paying a high ransom. Many dacoits also posed as Robin Hoods and used to give their loots to local poor, paying their medical bills and funding weddings.

One of the most notorious dacoits of Chambal: Gabbar Singh (1926-1959), whose death news was the Birthday Gift to the then Prime Minister Pundit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

Gabbar Singh, one of the most dreaded dacoit Chambal has ever seen. He became a household name after the film Sholay. He was known for his cruelty. He chopped off noses of 116 people including police officers just because one tantric told him to cut these noses to prolong his life. On his real-life Bollywood made Sholay Movie—again one of the most hit Bollywood movie ever produced. Gabbar Singh was born in 1926 in Gohad Tehsil in Bhind. He first joined then famous gang Kalyan Singh Gujjar gang and later formed his own gang. He became infamous after he committed a series of crimes disfiguring his victims (chopping, their nose, ears, and fingers in the most inhuman fashion).

He was so infamous that The government announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head—the biggest award ever announced on any criminal at that time. In 1958 Prime Minister Pundit Jawahar Lal Nehru sent his favourite Police officer  Khusro Faramurz Rustamji, who was his Chief Security Officer, as the Madhya Pradesh Police Chief. Rumtamji instructed all his officers to bring Gabbar dead or alive and in 1959 his team managed to kill Gabbar Singh in an encounter a day before Nehru’s Birthday. The news of Gabbar Singh’s death was given to the Prime Minister by the MP Police Chief as a birthday gift.

ends.