Burning issues of Balambha Jodiya Taluka And surrounding villages of Halar જોડિયા બાલંભા અને તેની આજુબાજુ ના હાલાર ના ગામડાઓ ની સમસ્યાઓ

 Burning issues of  Balambha Jodiya Taluka

  And surrounding villages of Halar

જોડિયા બાલંભા અને તેની આજુબાજુ ના હાલાર ના 

ગામડાઓ  ની સમસ્યાઓ 

Jodiya Taluka and its important coastal villages like Balambha, Heerapar, Virpar,Jamsar ,Bhimkata, Manamora etc  has  remained agriculturally, industrially and economically backward .It is geographically located, a stones throw away from Kandla Kutch , but has vast difference so far as the development is concerned . 

The above map shows a point in Gulf of kutch where from the ships going and coming from mumbai takes turn. This point is nearer to Balambha virpar jetty of chaugule company. Means Balambha is equally suitable for dveeloping as a port. Jodiya Balambha was a port which is ignored and allowed to be filled and destroyed .Kandla is developed at the cost of these minor ports of jodiya Balambha and Navlakhi. This is the high time that HALAR PORT AUTHORITY be developed the way Kandla Port Authority is Developed. Martitime board of Gujarat must do oceanographic survey and invite private companies to develop  these ports.


There are many issues which are under the scope of Central Government  which I will innumerate separately .I would like to attract the immediate  attention on the few of the very important issues which can be solved by the State government on war footing basis to help the farmers

TO PRESERVE THE SOIL FROM SALINITY OF SEA WATER JAM SAHEB OF NAVANAGAR BUILT A HUGE WALL FROM JAMNAGAR TO NAVLAKHI. TWO BULLOCK CARTS CAN PLAY ON IT! IT IS DAMAGED AND THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF FERTILE LAND HAS GONE SALINE .MAJOR REPAIR AND REVIVAL OF ROAD ON THE WALL WILL SERVE MANY PURPOSE...SOIL CONSERVATION,REVIVAL OF ZINGA FISHING AND ROAD TRANSPORT  

	work	History	Problem	Remarks
1	Repair of reclamation wall on the coast line from Jamnagar to Navlakhi for soil conservation of thousands of acres of agriculture land on the coast line and for zinga fish cultivation.	Was built pre independence. Since last 70 years proper maintenance and worthwhile repairing is not carried out .	Soil erosion. Sea water seeping in from damaged walls and thousands of acres of fertile land is eroded and become saline and uncultivable	Zinga fishing is affected due to saline water. Zinga is produced where sweet and salt water meets
2	a) Widening of AJI RIVER from Sampar to Virpar and Constructing concrete reclamation walls on both the banks of the river from SAMPAR TO VIRPAR  to contain flood and stop washing out of fertile agriculture land . b) Proper flood forecasting and control system by AJI dam authority c)  To review gate opening and set proper safety standards for Aji-4 dam	Last few years AJI-4 dam near Morana has become operational. When gates are opened in the monsoon everything gets destroyed in flood waters and land is washed out.	Villages affected are Sampar, Heerapar, Balambha, Madhapar, Virpar, Jasapar etc. People in past were stuck in heavy floods and were air lifted .	Due to fear of flood waters farmers are not adopting to the modern agriculture methods to get better yields
3	a)Raising the heights of check dam near sampar on aji river to provide 12 months a year water through kapuriya canal to Balambha b) Desilting, widening and concreting the kapuriya canal c) Providing new canals for irrigation to Balmbha and adjoining villages in the command area of Aji-4 d)Digging new huge lakes in the barren government  lands in the small ran of Balambha ,virpar and Heerapar  e) Interconnecting all old and new canal, old and new lakes and Dadhiyari river and Aji river	The check dam and kapuriya canal were constructed pre independence time and no worthwhile repair and maintenance is done so far. The irrigation  from Aji-4 by new canals is not given to the villages in and around Balambha. These villages have two types of problems. Flood in monsoon and no water in summer	Points a, b,c ,d together will provide irrigation to the thousands of acres of uncultivable  land, barren govt land and forest in and around Balmbha .  soil conservation, flood water control and availability of water in summer will boost the eco system and food production will be four fold	Due to ample water ,flora and fauna and wild life  and birds . River, Sea, small STRETCH OF DESERT etc provides a variety of Eco system to develop Balmbha as a Green tourist village .
4	Bringing law, awareness  to solve the fast spreading problem of entire Saurashtra region- destroying the agriculture by stray bulls , In every village hundereds of such bulls are moving around	Traditionally cows are kept for milk and bullocks for agriculture. With the tractors taking place of bullocks ,nobody is ready to nourish bullocks and thus they leave the male to grow as bulls	The bulls takes over the village in day and fields in the nights.. Spoiling the corps and also many accidents are reported. Farming becomes too tough	The Problem has root in the selfishness. Proper awareness combined with punitive actions are required by the law to punish those who have cows at home but does not keep bullocks at home .
5	Declare Navlakhi to Jodiya as a industrial cluster and free economic zone	Olden days there were minor ports full with business activities . The ports are now filled with earth . Dredging is required	Agriculture is unsustainable due to various problems of soil and water There is no industry anywhere between Morbi and Jamnagar stretch!	The educated  youth is unemployed. If opportunity provided they could become entrepreneurs
6	a) Fill the vacancies of teachers in the Govt primary and secondary schools b) Teachers must come in time , provide biometric attendance system to monitor them.	Poor farmers cannot afford to put their children in costly private schools 20 km away. Middle class  is compelled to spend huge amount for primary education	The problem is wide spread all over saurashtra and one of the major reason of unrest of the farmers	NGO must be allowed to appoint teachers and fund may be provided from state psu if Govt can appoint due to pending court cases

AJI-4 DAM IS CAUSING FLOOD IN THE DOWN STREAM VILLAGES. IN SUMMER THERE IS NO WATER AND IN MOONSOON WATER CAUSES FLOOD AND WASHING OUT OF AGRICULTURE LAND . WIDEN DOWNSTREAM OF AJI-4, CONSTRUCT RECLAMATION WALL ON BOTH BANKS, PROVIDE MORE CHECK DAMS AND MORE CANALS FROM SAMPAR TO VIRPAR. WILL CONSERVE SOIL, CONSERVE WATER , PROVIDE IRRIGATION .CONNECT THEM TO OLD AND NEW CANALS, OLD AND NEW PONDS AND DADHIYARI AND AJI 

RAISE THE HEIGHT OF AJI CHECK DAM TO PROVIDE FLOW FOR 12 MONTHS TO KAPURIYA CANAL. DESILT CANALS , HAVE CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AND THUS PROVIDE WATER FOR 12 MONTHS A YEAR FOR IRRIGATION .WHY WATER RESOURCES CANNOT BE PLANNED .THIS CHECK DAM IS THERE SINCE THE TIME BEFORE INDEPENDENCE WHEN AJI-4 WAS NOT THERE. NOW THERE IS FLOOD IN MOONSOON AND NO DROP IN SUMMER...

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO DEVELOP BALAMBHA INTO ECO FRIENDLY SMART VILLAGE             
1. PLAN-1 REPAIRING OF OLD COASTAL RECLAMATION WALL
2. PLAN-2 AJI-4 DAM DOWNSTREAM WIDENING, RECLAMATION WALLS ON BOTH BANKS , FEW MORE CHEK DAMS AND MORE CANALS
3.PLAN-3 RAISE THE HEIGHT OF OLD AJI CHEK DAM IN THE DOWNSTREAM NEAR KAMBIMATA AND PROVIDE MORE WATER IN KAPURIYA CANAL
4.PLAN-4 DESILTING AND CONCRETING OF ALL BRANCHES OF KAPURIYA CANAL AND PONDS
5. PLA-5 BUILD NEW PONDS IN RANN AND NEW CANALS FROM AJI-4 DOWNSTREAM AND INTERCONNECT NEW AND OLD CANALS, DADHIYARI AND AJI RIVERS AND OLD AND NEW PONDS
PLAN-6 DRIP IRRIGATION, MODERN FARMING, FOREST CONSERVATION ,WATER TRANSPORT, TOURIST SPOT, AWARENESS FOR COW AND BULL BREEDING FOR DAIRY FARMING
PLAN-7 DEVELOP MINOR PORTS  FROM JODIYA TO NAVLAKHI
PLAN-8 PROVIDE COASTAL ROAD PARALLEL TO SEA WALL AND DECLARE NAVLAKHI-JODIYA A DUTY FREE INDUSTRIAL ZONE
PLAN-9 IMPROVE EDUCATION ,BRING A DEEMED UNIVERSITY
PLAN-10 CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT AND MAKING A SMART TOWN FROM NAVLAKHI TO JODIYA 

Ministry of Surface transport Government of India should be appraised that the 2 lanes coastal road is going to be four lanes ,but this coastal road is not passing by the coastal villages of Navlakhi, Balambha, jodiya, balachadi.. but is diverted keeping away important would be ports from  Navlkahi to Balachadi . Instead it goes via AMRAN, DUDHAI, BHADRA,DHROL ( which are quite away from the coast).This past mistake needs to be corrected when it is becoming 4 lane road and must cover Navlakhi ,balambha and jodiya ports for industrially developing these important minor ports

THIS MAP SHOWS YELLOW LINE AS A RECLAMATION WALL TO PROTECT FERTILE LAND FOR GOING SALINE .AFTER INDEPENDENCE NO MAJOR REPAIR WORK IS DONE , YOU CAN SHE MANY PLACES IT IS DAMAGED .THE DAMAGE IS MORE TOWARDS VIRPAR, JAMSAR, MARAMONA...THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF LAND IS AFFECTED. FISHING IS AFFECTED AND IT WAS USED AS ROAD...N GOVERNMENT HAS THE FORESIGHT OF JAMSAHEB... HE BUILT THIS WALLF ROM JAMNAGR TO NAVLAKHI . ALSO SEEN IS THE OLD ROAD FROM BALAMBHA TO JODIYA....THIS ROAD NEEDS TO BE REVIVED .
BALAMBHA THUS HAVE SEA, RANN, RIVERS, DAMS, CHECK DAMS, CANALS AND BANDHARA ON DADHIYARI ...ALL THIS IS DONE PRIOR TO INDEPENDENCE .ALL GOVERNMENT FAILED TO STOP SOIL EROSION AND WATER CONSERVATION IN THIS AREA. tHIS AREA IS FAR BETTER THEN KANDLA .BUT KANDLA WAS DEVELOPED AND BALAMBHA JODIYA WAS IGNORED