Bardoli (Gujarat): NRIs are often associated with metro cities with facilities such as a ring road, internet connection, and electricity. But a village located 40 km from Surat city in Gujarat has turned the notion on its head. The Afwa village, in the Bardoli taluka of Surat district, is known as the NRI village as 80 percent of its residents are living abroad.
The village has a history of development dating back to 1975. Even at that time, Afwa had an underground drainage system. With time Afwa has only marched forward on the path of progress with infrastructure and amenities only comparable to large cities.
As one enters the Afwa for the first time he may mistake it for a small town. There are no jungle of overhead cables, no clogged drains, and frequent power cuts in Afwa. But there are no din and bustle of cities and pleasant bhajan rings in the air creating an ambiance of peace and tranquility.
Sitting in the small but neat yard of his house, Lallu Bhai Patel, a former sarpanch of the village said that Afwa had an underground drainage system since 1975. "It's not just an underground drainage system. We have ensured that all kinds of cables including those of electricity, internet, and cable tv are laid underground," he added.
That's not all. As many large cities in the country are struggling to deal with vehicular pollution, there is a ring road around the village to ensure that does not have to suffer from air pollution and its roads are not damaged by plying of heavy vehicles.
The majority of the population in the village belongs to the Halapati community There are also people from the Patidar Samaj and Mahavanshi Samaj in the village. Out of the villagers who've city they are from the Patidar community.
However, despite being settled abroad these NRIs have not forgotten their routes. They come to the village year in November and December and discuss what development work needs to be done in Afwa. The decisions taken in the meeting are implemented throughout the year.
The NRIs of the village have handed over their lands to those who still live in Afwa and villagers are earning good income through agriculture done through cooperative societies.
"At present three cooperative societies are working in the village. The families settled abroad have also handed over their farming to the families living here. An irrigation committee has also been set up in the village on a cooperative basis to ensure systematic agriculture," said Kamleshbhai Patel, another resident of Afwa.
Apart from this, a rice mill and a milk society are also running on a cooperative basis in the village. As cities struggle with pollution, traffic congestion, and bad roads, Afwa continues on the path of development while keeping its rural nature intact.
