East Singhbhum superintendent of police Arun Oraon on board an aircraft for surveillance of Ghurabandha and Saranda. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Chaibasa (West Singhbhum) April 23: Saranda is not shining. It’s scorching.

There was a time when the rays of the sun barely got past the dense cover of this forest — the biggest Saal reserve in Asia. Travelling through the 85,000 hectares of woods, even during daytime, was a difficult proposition.

However, today vast stretches of Saranda are barren and the sun beats down mercilessly on them. With Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) rebels ruling the roost in the area over the past few years, forest officials have stopped making visits. Taking advantage of this, villagers in Saranda indulge in illegal felling and ferry the logs on cycles to various places where the timber mafia buys them at a throwaway price.

A senior forest official said, “Illegal felling has been taking place in Saranda for a long time. But the felling increased since we stopped venturing into the forest fearing rebel attack. The rebels, too, encouraged the villagers to fell trees. There’s not much that we can do at this juncture.”

The blazing sun notwithstanding, the condition of the forest and its dwellers is dark. Poverty-stricken villagers are deprived of all benefits that the state government boasts of having provided to rural masses.

Both the MCC and the police make their lives difficult.

Amenities like water, electricity and healthcare are alien to Saranda dwellers. Employment generation schemes are unheard of as villagers struggle to make two ends meet. There are schools, but few students and barely any teachers.

Kumdih village inside Saranda is a case in point. The village has four tubewells, none of which functions. There is a primary school for children. But the teacher comes once in 15 days.

“When anyone falls ill, we have to carry the patient up the hills to reach Kiriburu, which takes about two hours. So, unless the ailment is very serious, we do not take anyone for treatment,” said Bodhan Singh Gagrai, a villager.

Gagrai’s daily food comprises a dish made of jackfruit and hadiya. “The rice that I purchase from Kiruburu once a week are for my two children. We do not touch the rice at all. We have lots of hadiya and saabji,” he said.

Gagrai has a small plot of land that he tills to grow rice and wheat. But wild pigs and elephants often destroy the crops. “There’s nothing I can do,” he said.

Villagers said they trek nearly a kilometre to fetch drinking water from a small nullah. “The water from the nullah stinks, but it is the only source of water for us,” said Soma Soy.

Residents of villagers like Kudlibad, Hatnaburu, Chota Nagra, Karampada, Noagaon had similar tales to tell. “Government officials never come here. The police occasionally quiz us about the rebels,” said Karaput Champia.

Of the three tubewells at Kudlibad, one is defunct. Villagers of Karampada said since there is no electricity they buy kerosene from local markets at high rates. “Traders smuggle the oil from Orissa and sell it here at a higher price. We have no other choice but to buy it,” the villagers said.