'Awas Has Huge Solar Potential...Need To Tap It'
In Maharashtra’s Raigad district, lies a futurist coastal village Awas whose hands-on sarpanch leads by example. Awas Gram Sarpanch Abhijeet Rane has been silently yet surely scripting the village’s success story. He is armed with a confident demeanour and a firm resolve to boot. His innovative methods and sustainable solutions to present-day problems aim to make Awas – a model village. Here go excerpts from a free-wheeling interview with Manu Shrivastava
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| Abhijeet Rane knows what's best for Awas and its people and works diligently to get it |
Tell us about your journey over the years, since the beginning of your tenure as the Sarpanch of Awas Gram Panchayat.
I first became the Sarpanch in 2005, after my father, Prabhakar Rane – the-then sitting Sarpanch, passed away. Later, my mother became the Sarpanch. After she passed away, I was elected the Sarpanch again in 2018 – registering a record win with the highest margin in Raigad district.
It was during the time my parents served the area that a lot of developmental work had already taken place in Awas in terms of increasing the green cover, water availability, road connectivity, etc. Why, now Awas has its own water filtration plant. And now, a hospital is being constructed in Awas that, I am hopeful, will serve the villagers, elderly and the needy.
The work had been stalled owing to some hurdles which have been surmounted and the work will resume.The hospital is set to be complete soon.
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| The Awas Gram Panchayat members standing against the new office building |
The Gram Panchayat office was also built and stands tall in the village, signifying the development of the zone. This time, after being elected, I have been focusing on some new things. I want to make Awas an ‘ideal’ village for everyone to emulate.
As a coastal village, it’s imperative to ensure the beach, the seas, the marine life is protected. How did you ensure that?
Awas has a unique, unspoiled beach which is an integral part of the life of its people. Maintaining beach cleanliness and the green cover has been my priority.
Here, tourists visit mostly on weekends. And, thankfully, unlike Alibag beach which spills over with beach activities, most touristy stuff such as boating and paragliding cannot be undertaken on Awas beach because of the rocky topography that protects the beach.
During the rains, every year, the Awas beach is ruined by huge puddles of oil or tar, mostly from large ships in the sea that float offshore in the zone.
While we can clean the beach of plastic and other garbage, we aren’t equipped to tackle this kind of pollution. This issue must be addressed on a war-footing as it’s harmful for marine life.
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| Sarpanch Abhijeet Rane takes the initiative in pooling local support |
As for developing the beach for tourists, we are very keen on tourists visiting them and partaking in recreation in a peaceful manner that doesn’t disturb nature or the environs.
The zone has been growing by leaps and bounds, with a constant influx of Mumbaikars investing in residences that are being converted into villas for tourism purpose. Tell us about the change.
Awas has legendarily been home for the Agris and Chaukalshi Malis. Most of these are employed in the nearby RCF factory. While just a few are engaged in farming, if not at the factory, most of them travel to Mumbai for work.
Local villagers have been developing their properties as ‘bed & breakfast’ options to rent out to weekend tourists. And then there are those, mostly from Mumbai, who have invested in bungalows, even constructed villas to rent out to large groups holidaying together and looking for all-inclusive independent premises.
There are more than fifty such properties available on rent in Awas today. The ‘outsiders’ who own the villas and bungalows have been generating employment for locals too.
A Mali, for instance, when employed earns anywhere upwards from Rs 25,000 per month. And then, the owner often takes care of the Mali’s children’s education and sundry domestic expenditure also.
Awas has become the preferred choice for a second home for many from Mumbai who were stuck in the village during the COVID lockdown. It was the camaraderie of the locals and the inclusive nature of villagers that won the hearts of these ‘outsiders’.
Awas has a rich cultural heritage. What has the Panchayat done to maintain and propagate this?
There’s a lot of history and culture in Awas. The name itself means ‘Where the Gods Reside’ and it’s evident from the many temples here.
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| Thousands from Awas and nearby villages came to participate in the Krushak Mahotsav |
The most significant being the Nageshwar Temple that is more than 350 years old. Even today, every year, there’s a huge mela here in November to celebrate the three sages who lived here, treated the ill and ultimately took samadhi here too. It is in keeping with the same spirit that a hospital is being constructed here at Awas.
Recently, I organised a Krushak Mahotsav as an event to commemorate farmers. Thousands from Awas and nearby villages came to participate in the grand celebration. There were cultural performances and games such as kabaddi, kushti, etc.
Among other panchayats, Awas Gram Panchayat is known to be futuristic. What are the changes you have introduced for the betterment of the village?
Yes, that is true. Despite being a village, one can avail state-of-the-art facilities in Awas. At the moment, I have been focussing on harnessing the abundant solar energy available.
I want Awas to be self-reliant in terms of electricity production and solar energy is the answer. I want Awas to be able to sell electricity it generates and make revenue too. If not, the villagers should be able to save money by using solar-generated power. It’s the need of the hour given the potential of solar energy in Awas.
Interestingly, in Awas, people of all age groups have been taken care of. We have constructed an ‘Anand Ashram’ in the local school campus where senior citizens can come, eat and socialise. Environment protection has been a huge concern for me.
Waste management is going to become a formidable issue, soon. To tackle this, I have requested the government for land where we can recycle waste and generate manure. I am against dumping of waste in a landfill as is usually the solution provided in most cities.
My family has been serving the people of Awas for decades and I’ll continue to do so.
