Balaghat District
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Contents |
PART I
Physical aspects
('above the passes'). — District in the Nag- pur Division of the Central Provinces, lying between 21 19' and 22 24' N. and 79 39' and 8i° 3' E., with an area of 3,132 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Mandla District ; on the east by Bilaspur and Drug Districts, and by the Kawardha. and Khairagarh States ; on the south by Bhandara ; and on the west by Seonl. Balaehat consists of an upland section of the most easterly portion of the Satpura plateau, and of a strip of low country forming part of the valley of the Wain- ganga, and extending along the southern and western border of the hills. The eastern ridge of the Satpuras, known as the Maikala range, divides it from the Chhattlsgarh plain. The hills and elevated plateaux, which occupy about two-thirds of the District, extend in the north almost across its entire width, with the exception of a small lowland strip to the north-west consisting of the valley of the Wainganga, here only about 10 miles wide, and forming the Mau estate. The greater part of the hilly country is included in the Baihar tahsil, and, outside the Feudatory States, is perhaps the wildest and most backward area in the Province.
It consists mainly of the three table-lands of Paraswara, Baihar, and Raigarh, from west to east. The Raigarh plateau, about 2,000 feet high, is a small open stretch of undulating country covered with high grass, and surrounded by thickly wooded hills, the highest peaks of which rise to 2,900 feet. It is drained by the Halon and Kashmiri rivers, and is approached from Baihar by the passes of Bhainsaghat and Lapti running through dense forest. The main table-land of Baihar, to the west of Raigarh and about 200 feet below it, is also very undulating and covered with thick forest, the soil being generally sandy, and cultiva- tion consisting principally of the minor autumn millets, as the slopes are frequently too steep to permit of the growth of rice.
The valley is watered by the Banjar and its tributary the Tannor, which passes Baihar. Farther west and separated from the Banjar valley by a long ridge lies the Paraswara plateau, slightly lower than that of Baihar and somewhat more fertile. It is watered by the Kanhar, a tributary of the Banjar, and on the west is bounded by another range of hills leading down to the Wainganga valley. The drainage of this part of the District is north to the Narbada. South of the main plateau the hilly country consists of small and scattered table-lands, with a southerly inclination and gradually narrowing in from the west. The hills are for the most part covered with forests belonging to zam'itiddri estates. Along the base of the outer spurs of hills lies the plain country of the District, form- ing part of the valley of the Wainganga, narrow and closely shut in by the hills to the north, and gradually opening out on both sides of the river to the south-east and south-west. The general elevation of this part of the District is about 1,000 feet above sea-level. It is watered by the Wainganga and several minor streams, the principal of which are the Bagh, Ghisri, Deo, and Son. The Wainganga flows nearly due south through Balaghat, its width varying from 200 yards in the upper reaches to 400 lower down. Its bed is generally rocky.
The Bagh rises in the Chichgarh hills of Bhandara, and flows north and north-west, forming for a short distance the boundary between Balaghat and Bhan- dara. It is crossed by the Satpura Railway just before its junction with the Wainganga on the border of the District. The Ghisri, Deo, and Son rise in the eastern range of hills, and join the Bagh after a short and rapid course. On the west of the Wainganga the low country, broken in places by isolated hills, lies along the eastern and southern border of the portion of the Satpura range belonging to Seoni District, a triangular strip of which abuts into Balaghat. The Sarathi is the only stream of any consequence on this side. The lowland country is well watered and studded with fruit trees, and is principally devoted to the growth of rice.
Gneissic and metamorphic rocks are the main formations, and there are a few outliers of Deccan trap in the north. The gneissic rocks belong partly to a highly metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic series, resembling the Dharwar schists of Southern India and known locally as the Chilpi beds. The metamorphic or transition rocks consist of quartzites, shales, and limestones.
The extensive forests of the District are mainly of the mixed charac- ter usual in Central India. Along the Wainganga river are scattered patches of teak (Tecto/ia graudis), and towards the north-east sal {Shorea robustd) is the dominant tree. In various parts of the District fine clumps of bamboos occur. Besides sal, which is plentiful, and teak, which is always scarce or local, the principal trees to be met with are saj (Terminalia tomentosa), beuld (Pterocarpus Marsupium), sliisham {Dalbergia Sissoo), dhaura (Anogeissus latifolia), palds {Buteafrondosa), aonld {Phyllanthus Emblica), haldu (Adina cordifolia), lendid {Lager- stroemia parviflora), moyen (Odina IVodier), with species of Diospyros, Schleichera, Schrebera, Soymida, Boswcllia, Bombax, Garuga, Buchanania, and Stereospermum. Shrubs and small trees include Grewia, Zizyphus, Nyctanthes, Flueggea, Cleistanthus, Woodfordia, and Casearia.
The usual kinds of game, including tigers, leopards, and deer, are fairly plentiful. Bison are found in the Sonawani forests, in Bijagarh, and in the north of the plateau. Herds of nilgai roam on the Raigarh plateau, and swamp deer are met with in the Topla. Reserve. There are a few herds of antelopes on the Baihar plateau. In the Hirri forests are some wild cattle, descended from tame ones let loose, which do serious damage to the crops but are not killed. Wild duck are plentiful in the tanks in the open country, but snipe are less frequent.
The uplands of Baihar are subject to sharp frosts in December and January, which cause much injury to the foliage of trees and the cold- season crops. The climate of Balaghat is that of the Nagpur plain, but it is especially damp during the monsoon. As usual in rice country, malaria is prevalent in the autumn months. The Baihar tahsil, owing to its heavy rainfall and dense forest, is notoriously unhealthy from August to December, and the mortality from malaria has largely con- tributed to retard immigration. The particles of mica suspended in the water also tend to produce gastritis.
The annual rainfall at Balaghat averages 62 inches, exceeding that of any other District in the Province. The District owes its copious rain- fall to the fact that it is encircled by hills on the north and east, on which the rain-clouds brought up by the south-west monsoon impinge. Until within the last few years the rainfall has seldom been deficient.
History
Balaghat, as it now stands, has only recently been constituted. The Baihar tahsil formerly belonged to Mandla District, and formed part of the dominions of the Gond dynasty of Garha Mandla. The eastern part of it was for some time assigned to the chief of Kawardha as a reward for service. Soon after the beginning of the nineteenth century the greater part of the tahsil was laid waste by an inroad of the Gond Rani of Ramgarh in Mandla, and at the time of cession in 1818 the country was sparsely populated. Of the low country, the old parganas of Hatta, Dhansua, and Lanji were included in Mandla, while the tract on the west of the Wainganga. belonged to the Deogarh kingdom, which was annexed by the Bhonsla rulers of Nagpur in 1743. In 1798 the Bhonslas also obtained the Mandla territories, and most of what is now the Balaghat tahsil was then administered from Bhandara.
At this period the greater part of it was covered with forest, and several of the present zamindari estates originated in grants of territory made by the Marathas for the purpose of opening up the country. In 1862, when the Baihar tahsil, then attached to Mandla, was being settled, the attention of Government was directed to its natural resources, and it was recommended that special measures should be taken to colonize it. With this object sanction was obtained in 1867 to the formation of a new District, consisting of the Baihar tahsil and a fringe of open country below the hills which was taken from Bhandara and Seoni Districts, and from which was to be obtained a supply of colonists for the upland plateaux.
The task of reclaiming from waste the hitherto almost unknown plateau of Baihar was entrusted to Colonel Bloomfield, for many years Deputy-Commissioner of Balaghat District, and under his management some progress was made towards settling the large expanse of fertile waste land with sturdy Ponwar peasantry. But owing principally to the unhealthiness of the climate, and partly also to changes in Government policy and the neglect of local officials, no very great or permanent advance has been made : and the tract remains one of the poorest in the Province. Very recently fresh measures have been taken for the systematic encouragement of immigration. A scheme for liberal advances for the reclamation of land has been sanctioned, the construction of a number of tanks undertaken, and other inducements offered to immigrants of the more skilful agricultural castes.
The archaeological remains are not of much importance. Baihar contains a number of stone tanks and ruined temples, some built in the Hemadpanti style without cement. The fort of Lanji was built by the Gonds early in the eighteenth century, and was afterwards the head- vol. vi,quarters of a kamaisdar under the Marathas. Human sacrifices are said to have been formerly offered at the temple of the Lanjki Devi, the tutelary deity of the place. About a mile from the town, in the bamboo forest, stands the temple of Koteshwar, at which a small annual fair is held. At Mau, in the middle of a tank, about a mile from the village, a granite platform has been constructed on which is the image of a Naga and a pillar. Other remains are at Blsapur near KatangI, Sonkhar, BhTmlat, and Sawarjhiri near Bhiri.
Population
The population of Balaghat at the last three enumerations was as follows : (1881) 340,614, (1891) 383,363, and (1901) 326,521. Up to 1 89 1 the District prospered and the rate of increase Population. was about ec]ua i to tne provincial average. During the last decade the decrease of population has been nearly 57,000 persons, or about 15 percent. The District was very severely affected by famine in both 1896 and 1897, and the Balaghat tahsil also in 1900, and the decrease of population is mainly to be attributed to this cause. About 1 1,000 persons emigrated to Assam during the last decade. The District contains one town, Balaghat, and 1,075 inhabited villages. The principal statistics of population based on the Census of 1901 are shown below : —
In 1904, 11 villages with 1,150 inhabitants were transferred from
Balaghat to Mandla, while a tract of ' reserved ' forest was received from
that District. The revised totals of area and population are given above.
About 75 per cent, of the population are Hindus, 22 per cent. Animists,
and 6,454 persons are Muhammadans. The eastern portions of the
District have been largely populated by immigration from Chhattlsgarh,
as is shown by the fact that nearly 145,000 persons, or 44 per cent, of
the total, speak the Chhattisgarh dialect. Of the balance, the language
of 84,342 is shown as Marathi and of 54,168 as Gondl. The Ponwars,
numbering 41,106, have a special dialect, a mixture of Hindi and
Marathi, and the Marars another of somewhat the same nature.
The principal landowning castes are Ponwars, Gonds, and Lodhis.
Ponwars (41,000) are the best cultivators and are especially skilful at the irrigation of rice. Many Ponwars are lessees of villages in the zamin- dari estates and headmen of ryotwari villages in the Baihar tahsil. The Lodhis (18,000) are partly immigrants from Chhatllsgarh, and partly from Northern India. Gonds (73,000) constitute 32 per cent, of the population, and Baigas and Binjhals (6,000) 2 per cent. The Gonds are found in hoth the Balaghat and Baihar tahsi/s, and those of the open country are gradually learning settled methods of cultivation from their Hindu neighbours. Those of the Baihar tahsil are still back- ward and migratory. The Pardhans are the priests of the Gonds and take the clothes and jewels of the dead, and the Ojhas are bird-catchers and tattooers. The Gonds are polygamous in Balaghat, and the number of a man's wives gives an indication of his wealth and dignity, as many as six being by no means unusual. On market days a Gond goes to the bazar with all his wives walking behind him to show his importance.
The Baigas also are priests of the Gonds, and are employed to lay the ghosts of persons who have been killed by tigers. They are one of the wildest of the tribes and are incapable of sustained manual labour, though they are clever at transplanting rice-plants. This is the only field-work which they usually do for hire. They collect forest produce and exchange it for small quantities of grain, and will subsist for weeks together on roots and fruits, in the collection of which they display the greatest skill. Since the system of bnvarox shifting cultivation has been stopped in Government forests, the Baigas are hard put to it to earn a living. An attempt was made to teach them to adopt regular cultiva- tion by settling them in five villages under the direct supervision of the revenue officials of Baihar, but it has been given up as a failure. Some idea of the difficulty to be encountered may be gained from the fact that Baiga tenants, if left unwatched, would dig up the grain which they had themselves sown and eat it. They are skilled woodmen and some are employed as forest guards. They also catch fish and make bamboo matting to a small extent. Both Gonds and Baigas suffered severely in the famines. Farm-servants are recruited from all castes, but are prin- cipally Gowaras. In the Baihar tahsil are a number of Golars (1,200) and Banjaras (1,000) who are professional cattle graziers. About 72 per cent, of the total population were shown as dependent on agricul- ture in 1 90 1. Christians number 219, including 191 natives, most of whom belong to the Balaghat Mission. This institution is unsectarian, and its efforts are principally directed to the conversion of the Gonds and Baigas. It was founded by the Rev. J. Lampard, who still directs it ; and it has four stations — at Balaghat, Baihar, Nikum, and Khurslpar — with schools at each station, an orphanage, and an industrial farm.
Agriculture
The quality of the soil in the plains is as a rule much superior to that of the plateau. It is of greater depth and more fertile, . . . while in Baihar the mixture of particles of mica with the soil also reduces its productive capacity. The alluvial land on the banks of the Son and other rivers in the eastern parts of the lowlands is the most fertile of all, but its area is insignificant. Next to this the richest and deepest soil is found in the strip about ten miles wide extending along the left bank of the Wainganga, from the Dhansua hills to its junction with the Bagh. The plains of Dhansura And Hatta parganasare rich in black and brown soil of superior quality and good depth ; and there is also good brown soil in the north Karola tract to the west of the Wainganga, and in Bhadra zamindari to the extreme south-east.
In the hilly country and the Mau valley the land is generally medium or poor, dark soil being found only in patches in the Mau valley and in the shallow depressions which form a characteristic feature of the plateaux. The Raigarh plateau is the most fertile portion of the Baihar tahsil, but the tract is very thinly populated, and much of the land unreclaimed. The good quality of the soil, however, renders this area rich in pasturage. In the hill villages of the zamindaris the land is, as a rule, very poor, being largely intermixed with stones and gravel or coarse sand.
Of the total area, 923 square miles, or 29 per cent., are included in the 12 zamindari estates. There are about 230 ryotwari villages with an area of 370 square miles, of which 90 are cultivated and pay a revenue of Rs. 20,000, while 4,000 acres have been sold outright under the Waste Land Rules. The remaining area is held on the ordinary mal- guzdri tenure. The following table gives the chief statistics of cultiva- tion in 1903-.1, with areas in square miles : —
Not much of the fertile land in the low country remains unoccupied, but elsewhere there is considerable scope for extension of cultivation. Rice occupies 366 square miles, kodon and hitki 137, wheat 23, urad 75, linseed 57, gram 34, and third 36 square miles. Rice is by far the most important crop, and in sowing it the system of transplantation is usually practised. Kodon, the staple food of the Gonds, is grown chiefly in the hilly tracts, and on the plateaux of Baihar and Raigarh. Tobacco is a very profitable crop in the alluvial soil of the Son valley, where it covers rather less than 1,000 acres. Castor is sown in rotation with tobacco. Sugar-cane was grown on 1,300 acres in 1903-4.
Between 1867 and 1895 the area taken up for cultivation increased by 31 per cent., and that actually cropped by 19 per cent. The area on which two crops were grown in the year and the number of tanks con- structed for irrigation largely increased during the same period. The famines of 1897 and 1900, however, caused a decline in the cropped area, which had not been recovered by 1903-4. Manure is now more largely applied to the rice crop, and cattle and small stock are some- times penned at night in the fields during the summer months. During the decade ending 1903-4, about Rs. 72,000 was advanced by Govern- ment under the Land Improvement Loans Act, and nearly i\ lakhs under the Agriculturists' Loans Act.
Cattle are bred principally in the Baihar tahsil, where there are excel- lent grazing-grounds. The ordinary cattle are small and not particularly strong. The best bullocks are bred by Golars and are sold as yearlings at fairly good prices. Bulls are reserved for breeding by the owners of any considerable number of cows. Buffaloes are used for the heavy work of hauling the rice plants from the nurseries at the time of trans- plantation. They are not bred to any considerable extent in Balaghat, but young bulls are imported from the northern Districts. The grazing- grounds are generally adequate, and those of the Baihar tashil-are resorted to by large herds of cattle from the surrounding Districts during the hot months. There are no members of the professional shepherd caste, but goats are bred by ordinary landholders for food and for sacrifice. Pigs are reared for the same purposes in the Baihar tahsil Very few sheep are kept. The principal cattle-markets are at Waraseoni and Lalburra in the plain country, and at Bhlri on the plateau.
About 150 square miles can ordinarily be irrigated, but in 1903-4 the irrigated area was only 27 square miles owing to the unfavourable rain- fall. With the exception of about 7 square miles under sugar-cane and garden crops, this is practically all rice land. Nearly 40 per cent, of the rice area, or 25 per cent, of the total area, can be watered in a normal year. There are nearly 3,000 tanks and about 4,000 wells, the latter being generally used for garden crops and sugar-cane. Numerous tanks have been constructed by Government agency in the Baihar tahsil, and plans for much larger works to protect a large proportion of the District have been prepared.
Forests
The Government forests cover an area of 972 square miles, mainly on the hilly ranges of Baihar, with blocks on the banks of the Wainganga and to the south-east. Teak grows in patches in the Sonawam and Parasvvara ranges. The Baihar and Raigarh ranges contain pure sal forest of excellent quality, and sal mixed with other species, while the lowland blocks contain only inferior timber trees. Till recently the difficulties of transport have been too great to permit of any substantial revenue being obtained from timber, but the opening of the Satpura Railway should greatly increase the sales.
The forest revenue in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 2,09,000, of which Rs. 1,60,000 was obtained from sales of timber and Rs. 15,000 from grazing. The large revenue from timber was due to a contract for the supply of sleepers. The principal minor products are lac and myra- bolams. The zamindari estates contain 401 square miles of forest. Deposits of iron ore occur in the Bhadra, Kinhi, and Bhanpur zamindaris. Iron is smelted by native smiths by indigenous methods, but the output is small. Manganese deposits have been found near Balaghat town, and are being worked by a European company. The out-turn in 1904 was 10,323 tons, and about 300 labourers are em- ployed. There are other numerous deposits of manganese as yet unworked. Copper ore exists in the hill of Melanjkundi. Mica is plentiful in the Baihar tahsil, but the plates are not sufficiently large to be marketable. Bauxite, used for the manufacture of aluminium, is also found in the Baihar tahsil. Small amounts of gold are obtained by washing in the Son and Deo rivers.
Trade and communications
The principal local industry is the weaving of coarse cotton cloth, the chief centres being Waraseoni and Lalburra with the villages round them. Lalburra dhotis are well-known, and are exported to the other Satpura Districts and to jubbul- pore. Linga, Borgaon, and Hatta also contain con- siderable colonies of weavers. In the Waraseoni tract a number of Otaris make ornaments and vessels from brass by moulding, while the Kasars of Waraseoni and Hatta make ornaments of bell-metal. Glass bangles are manufactured at Lanji from imported Indian glass. At Baihar a variety of small tin vessels, such as lamps, sieves, betel boxes, and watering-pots, are made from empty kerosene-oil tins and sometimes sent to Mandla.
Rice and the pulse urad are the principal exports. The former is sent mainly to Berar, and the latter to Bombay for the foreign trade. Tobacco is supplied to Chhattlsgarh from the Bijagarh zamindari. Ghi manufactured from the milk of both cows and buffaloes is exported from the Baihar tahsil. Of forest produce, teak is sent from the Sonawani and Charegaon forests to Nagpur and Kamptee. Bamboos are exported to Kamptee and Seonl. Hides and horns, myrabolams, lac, gum, and other forest products are largely exported. The leaves of the tendu tree (Diospyros tomentosa) are collected for the manufacture of leaf-plates and the outside covering of blris or native cigarettes. Mill-woven cloth is brought from Nagpur and Hinganghat, and small quantities of English cloth from Bombay.
The salt used is golanddzi or sea-salt from Bombay. Gur or unrefined sugar comes from Mirzapur, while refined sugar is chiefly the produce of Mauritius. Joivar, wheat, and gram are received from the neighbouring Satpura Districts, the local supply being inadequate, and the pulse arhar is obtained from Berar. Brass vessels are imported from Mandla, Bhandara, Jubbulpore, and the United Provinces. The grain trade is principally in the hands of Marwari Banias. For timber, contracts are taken for Government and zamindari forests by Muhammadan merchants from Kamptee and Raipur.
Famine
The Satpura extension of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway from Gondia to Jubbulpore, which has recently been constructed, passes through the west of the District up the valley of the Wainganga, with a length of 53 miles and six stations within its borders. The length of metalled roads is 15 miles, and of unmetalled roads 208 miles, and the annual expenditure on maintenance is Rs. 39,000, all these roads being in charge of the Public Works department. There are avenues of trees on only 16 miles. The opening of the railway will naturally effect a material alteration in the existing trade routes.
There are no reliable records of famine previous to 1868-9, m which year the rains ended abruptly a month before time, and the rice crop in the lowlands failed, leading to acute distress. A series of partial failures of the harvest was followed in 1896-7 by a more serious deficiency, the out-turn of all crops together being only about 17 per cent, of the normal. The numbers on relief rose to 68,000, or 15 per cent, of the population, in May, 1897, and the total expenditure was 13 lakhs. In 1899- 1900 the rice crop again failed, the out-turn being 23 per cent, of a normal harvest. Relief was begun in September, 1899, and continued till November, 1900, the highest number relieved being 135,000, or 35 per cent, of the population, in August, and the total expenditure amounting to 26 lakhs. During these famines most of the existing roads were constructed and the embank- ment of the Satpura Railway was built. Many tanks were made or repaired by famine loans in 1897 and by grants to landowners in 1900.
Administration
The Deputy-Commissioner is aided by one Assistant or Extra-Assistant Commissioner. For administrative purposes the District is divided into two tahsils. each of which has a tahsildar and a naib tahsildar. The Forest officer usually belongs to the Imperial service, and for Public Works the District is included in the charge of the Executive Engineer, Bhandara Public Works division. The civil judicial staff consists of a District and a Subordinate Judge, and a Munsif at Balaghat town. The Divisional and Sessions Judge of the Nagpur Division has jurisdiction in the District. Cattle-poisoning is a comparatively common form of offence.
The area now constituting Balaghat was formerly included in the Districts of Seoni and Bhandara, and the land revenue demand was assessed at the thirty years' settlements of those Districts. These expired in 1896-8, when revision was commenced, but it was somewhat delayed by the famines. The revenue demand before revision was Rs. 1,26,000, which was raised to Rs. 1,87,000, or by 48 per cent. The current settlement is for a period of sixteen years, and will expire in 1914. The average incidence of revenue per acre at settlement was . R. 0-9-1 1 (maximum, R. 0-15-1 ; minimum, R. 0-2-10), the corre- sponding figures of rental incidence being average R. 0-15-6 (maximum, Rs. i-ii-ii; minimum, R. 0-3-7). In the Baihar tahsil a summary settlement has been made for seven years without rental enhancement, to allow the tract to recover from the effects of famine. In certain areas temporary remissions and abatements have been given. The collections of land revenue and total revenue in recent years are shown below, in thousands of rupees :■ — ■
The management of local affairs, outside municipal areas, is entrusted
to a District council and three local boards, two for the Balaghat tahsil
and one for Baihar. The income of the District council in 1903-4 was
Rs. 35,000, while the expenditure on education was Rs. 12,000 and on
public works Rs. 9,000. Balaghat is a municipal town.
The force under the District Superintendent of police consists of 247
officers and men, including 3 mounted constables, besides 843 village
watchmen for 1,076 inhabited towns and villages. There is a District
jail, with accommodation for 59 prisoners, including 6 females. The
daily average number of prisoners in 1904 was 52.
In respect of education Balaghat stands twelfth in the Province, 2-2 per cent, of the population (4-4 males and o-i females) being able to read and write. The percentage of chilaren under instruction to those of school-going age is 10. Statistics of the number of pupils under instruction are as follows : (1880-1) 2,033; (1890-1) 2,597; (1900-1) 2,883 \ iin d (1903-4)4,663, including 85 girls. The educational institu- tions comprise an English middle school at Balaghat town, 3 vernacular middle schools, and 62 primary schools. There are girls' schools at Balaghat and WaraseonT, and a mixed school for girls and boys at Baihar supported by the Balaghat Mission. The expenditure on education in 1903-4 was Rs. 17,000, of which Rs. 15,000 was provided from Provincial and Local funds and Rs. t,8oo by fees. The District has 6 dispensaries, with accommodation for 28 in- patients. In 1904 the number of cases treated was 38,483, of whom 253 were in-patients, and 560 operations were performed. The total expenditure was Rs. 6,800.
Vaccination is compulsory only in the municipal town of Balaghat. The number of persons successfully vaccinated in 1903-4 was 31 per i ,000 of the District population. [J. R. Scott, Settlement Report '(1901). A District Gazetteer is being compiled.]
PART II
Citizen-financed makeshift hospitals
Lalbarra, Waraseoni, Lanji:
P Naveen, April 30, 2021: The Times of India
With many hospitals in MP nearly out of oxygenequipped beds, at least three villages in Maoist-hit Balaghat district have turned selfreliant and pooled money to convert existing hostels into Covid care centres, complete with vital oxygen supply.
The villagers have purchased oxygen concentrators and are admitting patients. Government doctors have begun visiting these facilities twice a day. Local MLAs and administrative officers have extended their support to these ‘DIY hospitals’, and more villages in the surroundings are following in their footsteps.
The first hospital came up a couple of weeks ago in Lalbarra tehsil after a small-time businessman had a hard time getting proper treatment for his daughter. In the tight-knit community, his anguish touched others and the idea took hold they could set up a hospital on their own. They started pooling money.
It took villagers a month to get centre up & running
A local doctor named Arun Lange joined the effort. Word spread quickly and MLA Gauri Shankar Bisen contributed five oxygen concentrators.
It took them nearly a month to start the Covid centre. Now, it’s running full steam, with patients getting food and medicines from the collected money, say sources.
District collector Deepak Arya said: “The effort of people of Lalbarra is laudable. Now, people in Waraseoni and Lanji have raised money to start their own Covid centres.” “Lalbarra bought oxygen concentrators. Our doctor, Ritwik Patel, has led all the campaigns. He has pooled resources from government and private sector to convert hostels into Covid-care centres,” said the collector.
Balaghat has reported 37 Covid deaths and there are nearly 1,200 active cases, over 70% of them in home isolation. About 230 patients are on oxygen support and 15 in ICU.
