April 2009 Edition
Rina Mukherji
Poompuhar (Tamil Nadu)
FOUR years after the tsunami, the people of Poompuhar lead a well-settled life. You can see resettled villages of fishing and farming communities with neat rows of houses. There are well laid out roads flanked by neon street lights. The transformation of 10 villages in this panchayat is the handiwork of former panchayat president, Manimekhalai, and the district administration. Homes have been built even for the most backward villages. A lot of NGOs and charitable organizations helped in post-tsunami reconstruction.
As panchayat president, Manimekhalai, 52, is simple, articulate and devoted to social work. Born into the Meenava fishing community, her family was always politically active. Her father is a longstanding DMK worker. Manimekhalai got involved in social work at the age of 15 when her father was wrongly implicated in a murder charge. He was honourably acquitted and his young daughter Manimekhalai, continued to devote herself to community work.
She became panchayat president in 1996 and served two consecutive terms. When the tsunami happened Manimekhalai swung into action quickly. "I knew there were a lot of NGOs willing to help on behalf of the government. I decided to get in touch with them and get whatever was forthcoming for villages under my panchayat." Nagapattinam was acknowledged as the district that was worst hit by the tsunami. The government acknowledged this fact and that helped to bring in relief quickly. Within a week's time, the Covenant Centre for Development (CCD), St Joseph's Eye Hospital, CHESVI and SOS Children's Villages, got busy in villages under her panchayat. Meanwhile, Manimekhalai had temporary shelters set up and personally supervised the distribution of food, clothing and relief materials, day and night. She realised that not sufficient attention was being paid to the plight of farmers so she got in touch with Bhuvaneshwari Kannan who was working with the CCD.
When the farmers' federations needed land for an administrative office and a seed bank, Manimekhalai was prompt in making panchayat land available. Rolling credit extended to the farmers' federations is now administered from the same office building today.
A lot of construction in her panchayat has been funded by NGOs and
charities. Joseph Eye Hospital of Madurai contributed 100 houses and a
marriage hall, SOS Children's Villages built 64 houses, the G L Swamy
Foundation, Vijaywada 300 houses, CHESVI made 68 houses and a community
hall, Sawai made 500 houses, and ISED built 300 houses for the
SC/ST community. But once things settle after a disaster, funds and aid
are not forthcoming. Manimekhalai understood this. So she got organizations
to contribute a few essentials before they made their exit. She got
CHESVI to fund the upgradation of the elementary school and middle
school. She roped in an NGO to impart training in disaster mitigation to
the villagers. A 20-member committee has been selected from among the
villagers and is fully prepared to handle disasters.
She is quick to acknowledge the cooperation she has received from bureaucrats at the district level. "I have worked under 10 district collectors, and they have always helped me and my panchayat colleagues. We function as a team," she says.
Apart from the way she handled the fallout of the tsunami, Manimekhalai has a long list of achievements to her credit. She set up a Rs 6 lakhs veterinary hospital in her village. When the fisher community contributed Rs 1.50 lakhs for a hospital she approached the government with this money and got Rs 22 lakhs sanctioned for a government hospital.
Manimekhalai cleared 23 acres occupied by squatters, widened roads and got new ones made. Ironically, this made her lose the last panchayat elections. Villages in her panchayat have sanitation. Open defecation is never seen in any of the villages. More than 500 public toilets have been constructed. Awareness and stringent rules have stopped open defecation. Her work has been acknowledged by the state and central governments with the ‘Nirmal Gram Award’. Poompuhar has a police station, thanks to her. There is even a tourist bungalow here constructed on three acres which she donated from her share of the family property.
In 1998-99, she had 20 houses constructed under the Indira Memorial Housing Scheme for the SC/OBC communities.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has also been put in place here. "In May, June and July there is no work for people in Poompuhar," she explains. In 2006, she had a community solar dryer set up for the fishermen's community to facilitate the drying of fish. Fisher women have been trained in fish preservation. She is now keen to set up a home for the elderly.
In 1999, the National Commission for Women honoured her for her work as panchayat president.
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