Cut off by road, Malana villagers running out of ration
Malana village faces food shortages after floods damaged access. Residents seek airdrops and a permanent bridge as ration prices soar amid poor connectivity.
Residents of remote Malana village in Kullu district are facing food shortage after the wooden bridge on the ravine was washed away in the floods this year, making meeting the daily needs a struggle for the villagers.
The village with a population of 3,000 has run out of ration. The government ration depot in the village has been closed since July.
The villagers have now sought the intervention of the deputy commissioner, Kullu, urging the administration to airdrop ration. The villagers walked through a steep, narrow footpath to reach Kullu to submit the memorandum.
Apart from air dropping ration, the villagers have urged the district administration to construct a “strong and permanent iron bridge at the earliest to connect Nerang with Malana” while seeking repair of the road leading to Malana urgently so that essential services can reach the village. The villagers also demanded that one primary health centre/dispensary should be established in the village.
The problems of the villagers started when on August 1, 2024, the road leading to the village was washed away due to the bursting of the Malana Dam thus cutting the village from other parts of Kullu and even after a year, the road connectivity has not been restored. The road from Jari to Malana was washed away last year, but this time during the rains, even the footpaths and trails are not left, making the commute extremely dangerous. As a temporary measure, the villagers had made a wooden bridge, but that too was washed away this year.
“Ration vegetables, potatoes, onions, shampoo, soap, every item is getting three to four times more expensive. The situation in the village is such that 90% of the people are about to run out of ration. There is neither electricity nor water in the village for the last 20 days. Footpaths have also been damaged due to landslides,” said Bhag Chand of Malana village.
{{/usCountry}}“Ration vegetables, potatoes, onions, shampoo, soap, every item is getting three to four times more expensive. The situation in the village is such that 90% of the people are about to run out of ration. There is neither electricity nor water in the village for the last 20 days. Footpaths have also been damaged due to landslides,” said Bhag Chand of Malana village.
{{/usCountry}}Another villager, Roop Singh, said, “For the last one year, there is neither a road here nor are people getting ration on time in the village. But now the problems have escalated”.
{{/usCountry}}Another villager, Roop Singh, said, “For the last one year, there is neither a road here nor are people getting ration on time in the village. But now the problems have escalated”.
{{/usCountry}}He said, “The ration reaching the village is also very expensive. Onion which is available at ₹60 per kg in the market is available in Malana at the rate of ₹250 to 300 per kg. A 10 kg flour sack is available for ₹1,500. A gas cylinder is also available in the village for ₹3,000 to ₹4,000. Mustard oil is available at ₹500 per liter, soap, shampoo, pulses are costing four times more.”
{{/usCountry}}He said, “The ration reaching the village is also very expensive. Onion which is available at ₹60 per kg in the market is available in Malana at the rate of ₹250 to 300 per kg. A 10 kg flour sack is available for ₹1,500. A gas cylinder is also available in the village for ₹3,000 to ₹4,000. Mustard oil is available at ₹500 per liter, soap, shampoo, pulses are costing four times more.”
{{/usCountry}}“Most of the ration and other supplies for Malana village came through Zari Bazaar. People used to get their daily needs from small shops built in the village. Earlier, goods used to reach the village through vehicles, but the roads and footpaths leading to the village are completely damaged. In such a situation, shopkeepers and labourers walk several kilometres to deliver ration and other goods to the village thus escalating the cost. Arranging for daily ration here is no less than a struggle,” said Nilesh Gautam, a local.
Bhag Chand of Malana village says, “There are 40 pregnant women in Malana panchayat and 30 elderly people who constantly need medical help. There are many cancer patients here as well. Taking the sick to the hospital is a big problem. A demand has been made to the administration that until the road is not restored, a health worker should be deployed in the village, so that people here do not have to face trouble for treatment.’
Deputy commissioner, Kullu, Torul S Raveesh said, “We had two different delegations meeting us. The ration is available through PDS at the ration shop in the village.”
“We checked into a short supply of ration but have found that the same is available through the ration shop. The person running the ration shop will reach Malana tomorrow so the issue of ration is taken care of and there is no problem of food. There are two patients of cancer and two of TB so instructions have been issued to ensure they are checked,” added the DC.
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