Reconstructed village to be ready by June 3

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 7.

The reconstructed village of Dudhai in Gujarat -- completely devastated in the January 26 earthquake killing its 166 residents -- will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, on June 3.

Christened Inderprastha, at a distance from the original one, it has been reconstructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 15 crores by the Rashtriya Swabhiman, a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation, with contributions from the people of the Capital which also includes Rs. 16 lakhs from the ``king of bhangra pop'' Daler Mehandi.

``This is a humble gift from the people of Delhi. This is the reason why, the village has been named Inderprastha with the consent of the villagers,'' said Mr. Sahib Singh Verma, MP from Outer Delhi, who is also the patron of the NGO, here today.

``The facilities in this village, spread over 100 acres, would be named after various landmarks of the Capital. For instance, the hospital would be called Hindu Rao Hospital. It will have a Lala Hardayal Public Library, Sadar Bazar, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and a Chandni Chowk,'' said Mr. Verma.

Claiming that the reconstruction work would be completed in a record 100 days before May 30, Mr. Verma said the village would have 800 earthquake-resistance houses built in consultation with experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology, Mumbai and Delhi.

Giving details, Mr. Verma said besides providing a house free the residents of the village would also be gifted with ``all the things of daily use that are necessary. Apart from beds, utensils and such items, we would provide a month's ration to all people who move into the houses.''

The village, which has a population of 4,500 people from all the castes will have eight temples including a Harijan temple and a mosque. As many as 25 different facilities are being provided here which include post office, telephone exchange, krishi vigyan kendra, vetenary hospital, panchayat ghar, satsang bhawan, gosadan, police station, community centre, old-age home, orphanage, community park and a handicraft park. ``Shops are being allotted to those families in which there was a death due to the earthquake,'' he said.

According to Mr. Verma, on May 29, a caravan of 150 vehicles representing various sections of the Capital will leave Delhi and will reach the village on June 2 after passing through Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

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