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While urbanisation sweeps across India and the globe, with rural residents yearning for city life, a unique story unfolds in a tiny town in Uttarakhand. Residents of Muradi in Naugaon Nagar Panchayat, Uttarkashi district are unhappy with their urban status and want to revert to a ‘village’.
Naugaon town is located on National Highway 94 towards Yamunotri, a prominent religious site in Uttarakhand and one of the four Dhams. The town was designated as a Nagar Panchayat in 2018 and Muradi, Mungra, Naugaon and Dhari Gram Panchayats were amalgamated into it.
Initially, the village residents harboured hopes for development in their area following the merger, but these hopes were soon dashed. A recent visit by Down to Earth (DTE) to the Naugaon area revealed a unanimous desire among the people of Muradi to return to rural life. Their grievances were grounded in practical concerns.
Since joining the Nagar Panchayat, the residents said they have experienced losses rather than gains. Agriculture is their primary source of income, but the Panchayat lacks farming facilities.
Krishna Mohan Chand of Muradi village emphasised the prosperity of their farming community, which is largely due to the availability of irrigation canals called kools in almost every field that were previously maintained by the Gram Panchayat under the minor irrigation scheme. However, after the Gram Panchayat disbanded and the village merged with the Nagar Panchayat five years ago, canal maintenance ceased.
“Farmers used to irrigate their fields with a concrete canal that originated about two kilometres away. However, during the expansion of the highway, the canal was damaged. Despite complaints, the Nagar Panchayat refused to accept responsibility, citing budget constraints that should have been addressed by the rural development or agriculture departments,” said Chand, adding the residents were shocked by this revelation.
Showing the broken canal to DTE, residents lamented its state, left unrepaired for nearly five years. “Smaller canals leading to the fields have also suffered damage, affecting irrigation. Little rainfall since January, extreme heat and no water canal is drying up fields,” a local told DTE.
Aside from the canal, the village uses Yamuna water for drinking, which is insufficient for irrigation. Furthermore, silt accumulation frequently causes long-term disruptions in the lifting supply.
In response to the Nagar Panchayat's refusal to repair the canal, town youth organised a collective repair effort, raising approximately Rs 35,000 for a temporary solution. However, this effort proved futile, highlighting the importance of government intervention in canal restoration.
Following the transition from Gram Panchayat to Nagar Panchayat, the villagers lost access to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which was previously critical to their livelihoods.
MGNREGS supplemented his farming income with occasional daily wages, according to resident Vijay, who lamented the absence of this vital assistance. “MGNREGS also facilitated various developmental projects in the village, improving infrastructure and livelihoods. However, these initiatives ceased post-transition,” he said.
Muradi, like many other villages in Uttarakhand, is plagued by wild animals, monkeys, pigs, and stray cattle that wreak havoc on crops. Previously, the Gram Pradhan appointed watchmen to protect the village, but this system has since been disbanded. As a result, animal intrusions threaten agricultural yields.
Residents also face higher taxes, including house taxes, following the merger with the Nagar Panchayat. Water and electricity tariffs have risen without corresponding improvements in services. Additionally, construction necessitates costly map acquisition, previously unnecessary in rural settings.
While landowners along the highway capitalise on rising property values, commercial developments exploit village resources, such as water sources, further exacerbating local challenges.
A major concern for Muradi residents is the potential for increased migration. The village boasts a historically non-migratory community, but residents fear that urban incorporation will disrupt this tradition.
Chand proudly asserted the village’s historical immunity to migration, noting that even government employees maintain agricultural ties. However, sustained adversities threaten this stability, potentially prompting migration, he pointed out.