By Kartik Lokhande
Just as one walks down from the weekly market area to the huge ground behind it at village Hedari, near Surjagarh iron ore mines, one notices a memorial to a local villager. On enquiry, it turns out that the villager was killed by Maoists in 2012. As one turns head towards the left, one gets to see a board bearing the name of Lloyds Metals & Energy Limited (LMEL) and having information about the sports facility being developed on the ground. Lalu Lekami, a resident of Hedari, tells the story of change. According to him, the villager Dohe Mura Narote was killed by Maoists by branding him as ‘police informer’ in 2012. The locals built a memorial to Narote under a tree on one side of the ground. The activities of the outlaws continued to haunt Hedari till 2015 and even later. However, Lekami says, for the past some time, the atmosphere has changed positively.
In fact, Lalu Lekami is one of the beneficiaries of this change. He is doing farming and also doubles up as a driver with LMEL. Just some distance from this spot, one gets to see some work going on to give a facelift to the community hall. Then, there is a compound housing some cabins. As one enters the compound, one realises that it belongs to LMEL. The compound houses a small healthcare facility, a training facility for proposed garment unit, and a small canteen. Dr Gopal Rai, Senior Medical Superintendent, LMEL, at the site hospital spends his day examining the villagers and prescribing medicines, which are available for free as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of the company. “A small healthcare set up had come into being in May 2021. In June 2022, it was gradually expanded to this unit at Hedari. This unit has two observation beds, pathology laboratory, facility to conduct respiration test,” Dr Rai informs ‘The Hitavada’. At present, eight ambulances are available of which three are equipped for critical care.
However, as this much is not enough to take care of major health emergencies, a bigger 20-bedded hospital is under construction at a site closeby. Pre-fabricated sheets are being put in place to create various sections of the healthcare facility. Once complete, it will have five doctors, bigger pathology laboratory, digital x-ray unit, ultrasound facility, and more specialists including gynaecologist, paediatric. Surgery facility, and a branch of blood bank will be there. Everything shall be free in the hospital as Lloyds Infinite Foundation, CSR arm of LMEL, will take care of the hospital needs. In another cabin, one gets to see several women and girls busy on sewing machines. H Ammar, In-charge of Garment Unit, tells that there are 60 sewing machines and local women and girls are being trained to make garments. “A new and bigger unit will come up in the under-construction complex nearby. That unit will house 320 sewing machines, and will be ‘cut-to-pack’ facility. It will be a production unit, and already talks are on with top brands for marketing the garment made here. The new unit will be ready in two months”, he adds. Ankita Gawade, a resident of Todsa, is working there since May 2023. She feels that sewing in a well-equipped unit is better than working in a farm. For, she explains, it gives a sense of having acquired some modern skill that offers promise of a life with more comforts than working in a farm. At present, there are 55 women/girls getting trained here.
Jagannath Acharya, Manager, Human Resources, LMEL, tells ‘The Hitavada’ that the company is also redeveloping lakes at Hedari, Manger, and Peepli Burgi. The lake at Hedari is spread over 10 acres. “We plan to develop a walkway along the banks of all three lakes, a play area, garden, and a boating facility in due course of time. Around 50 kgs of fishlings are being introduced into the lakes so that fishing serves as a means of livelihood for the locals,” he said. In Hedari, behind the weekly market area, some play equipment have been installed in one corner of a huge ground, and goal posts have been set up to encourage local children and youth to pursue recreation and sports activities. Some time ago, to change the atmosphere, kabaddi tournament was held. Meanwhile, in the new under-construction complex that will house a 20-bedded hospital and bigger garment unit, a CBSE school also is being constructed. It is expected to start admissions from the next academic session. The school is being set up as per the demand of the villagers during a public hearing for expansion of iron ore production capacity from 3 MTPA to 10 MTPA.
According to some senior officials, who preferred to remain anonymous, the company has spent over Rs 7 crore in 2022-23 on various CSR activities. These included the highest expenditure of over Rs 2.60 crore on establishing oxygen plant at Etapalli hospital, from where oxygen cylinders are supplied to Government as well as private hospitals as per their requirement. Besides, solar lights have been installed in some villages, training is being facilitated for local youths at Industrial Training Institutes, sports tournaments have been organised at Hedari, Ekra Khurd, Pursalgondi, Todsa, Aldandi, etc. Among the ongoing projects, capital cost of Rs 41.90 crore and operating cost of Rs 11.69 crore have been committed in 2023-24. Apart from construction of new facilities, there is a proposal for construction of a larger 100-bedded hospital. Hedari emerges as one symbol of change that is coming with the industrialisation of Gadchiroli district. However, there is more.