Political parties in the state of Jharkhand do not breathe freely without mentioning Birsa Munda's name. 26% of tribal people of the state consider Birsa Munda as a deity. But despite this, even though it has been many years since the independence of the country, development has not yet reached Birsa Munda's birth village, 'Ulihtu'. Tribal Pride Day is celebrated across the country on November 15, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda. Last year on this day, President Draupadi came to Murmu Ulihatu. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go this year. The central government is celebrating Birsa's birth anniversary as tribal pride day across the country. Also, 15th November is the foundation day of Jharkhand state.
But heritage alone is not the progress book of development. That is why the village of Birsa, who is worshiped as the Lord, has been deprived of development. In the name of development, nothing has happened in this village except roads made of black stones and asphalt and smartphones in people's pockets. The only difference between Ulihatu village, which has a population of around 50,000, and other neighboring villages is Birsa's monument and legacy of being his birthplace. Ulihatu village is in the same situation as villages across the country that are deprived of basic infrastructure. Most of the population here belongs to the Munda tribal tribe, whose main occupation is agriculture and labor.
Village youths are migrating to cities like Asansol, Durgapur, Murshidabad in West Bengal as well as Mumbai and Delhi in search of employment. Ulihatu village, located 70 km from Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand, and located in Khunti district, has been awarded the status of a model village. Along with this, it is said that Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana and Central as well as State Government schemes are being implemented in the village, but many problems in the village are still in the same way. Ulihatu village surrounded by forest was once affected Naxal. Now the situation has changed. Units of paramilitary forces have been deployed. The same forces have kept the government offices under their control, causing hardship for the villagers. Villagers are talking about this problem in a low voice.
The third and fourth generation of Birsa Munda lives in the village. Birsa's family lives in Kuda's house, which is behind the monument. Birsa's great-grandson Sukhram Munda still lives in a house made of mud because he does not have enough land to build a house. Due to this, there are difficulties in getting a house under the government scheme. They have a problem with getting a house under the Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana. At present Birsa's memorial is maintained and cleaned. In response to the BBC, Sukhram said, “Amit Shah is coming here in 2017. Raghubar Das was the Chief Minister at that time. It was he who started the Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana. Under this scheme, more than 150 people would construct concrete houses. But not a single house has been completely built yet. Similarly, 'Every Ghar Nal' was going to be installed for drinking water, but even today this work has not been done. Big leaders come every year. Promises are made, but most of the promises are not fulfilled. The major problem with Ulihatu is that the village falls in a drought zone. Here, along with drinking water, water for irrigation is available with great effort.
Sukhram Munda continues, “The villagers cultivate paddy and mahua. Paddy requires sufficient water, but lack of water affects crops. People depend on hand pumps and wells for drinking water.” The village falls in Badi Nijkel taluk. Sarpanch Maryat Devi of the village said, “The village has been connected with the rural drinking water scheme, but it has not helped. The water tank under the scheme has been in bad condition for five years. The solar dependent water supply scheme has also been of no use. Only if these schemes are properly implemented will we have access to drinking water. Now there is little water on winter days, but wells dry up in summer. At that time, the situation was very dire.”
Birsa Munda's parents admitted him to a missionary school in Chaibasa for his primary education. At that time there was no school in the Ulihatu area. Now Ulihatu has a residential school named after Birsa Munda. However, students in residential schools do not have access to sufficient water. There are three teachers on a permanent basis for three hundred students in the school. Students have to go to Khunti or Ranchi for higher education. The state of Jharkhand has been declared an open defecation free state. But the toilets in Ulihatu village are in a dilapidated state. So people resort to open defecation.
Kote Munda of the village says, “Even when the toilets were in good condition, people used to defecate due to lack of water. This is the situation when MP Arjun Munda was a minister in the central government.
Famous writer Vikas Kumar Jha went on a one-day fast today at Birsa Munda's memorial site. The main reason behind this hunger strike is that even after 76 years of independence, Birsa Munda's village is lagging behind in development. In a discussion and dialogue program with the villagers here, Jha said that it has been 75–76 years, every year on November 15, on the occasion of Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, the development of Ulihatu village is the same as that of the central and state governments. The cassette is played, but there is no development. For seven and a half decades, the village has been desperate for a single drop of water. Earlier, there were three sources of water here with a depth of ten to ten feet. But due to lack of maintenance, the source has come to only five feet. Villagers are drinking water from a single lake in the village, which is very bad.
As of 2017, the 26th Battalion of the Armed Forces is based in Ulihatu. The jawans are also facing a water crisis. At such times, they fulfill their requirement by calling for water tankers. Due to lack of water, the students of Birsa Munda Residential School are now leaving the school. The condition of the primary school is permanently closed. Soldiers have taken the initiative for education. They have come forward to educate children. The facilities here are in zero condition due to health issues.
Vikas Kumar Jha, looking at all this state of affairs, says, "From Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, idols of Lord Birsa Munda have been installed in various parts and cities of this region. Even if half of the cost of making all these idols is spent, Ulihatu village will develop. There is a good road to reach Ulihatu from Ranchi. The village also has a helipad for the convenience of VIP guests. On the occasion of Birsa Munda's birth anniversary in 2022, the country's President Draupadi Murmu came here. He said in his speech at that time, we will make Ulihatu village an ideal village in the country. But it has been a year today and nothing has happened in the village and, interestingly, before becoming the President, Draupadi Murmu was serving as the Governor of Jharkhand.”
