Ongole charm losing out to modernity

Prakasam district, predominantly still represents an agrarian economy with 81 percent of its population sticking to rural livelihood. Signs of urbanisation and industrialisation are markedly absent. Small towns like Giddalur, Markapur, Kandukur, Ongole, Addanki and Chirala continue to be villages out-grown urban bodies compared to other towns in the coastal districts.

Although, the population has grown, urban growth has been stunted. It was a sigh of relief to see that Ongole, in spite of being the district headquarters, has not grown unduly in the name of modernity. The landmarks from the good old days are still intact, unlike in other major cities like Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

Unfortunately, of late, instances of unauthorized structures on all available road side vacant spaces have surfaced. Such encroachments are causing dismay and quite understandably so. All these in the name of development, although the fact is that Ongole town has not lagged behind the other towns in the state.

Post-1967 (the advent of populism), one could distinctly see changes that helped ease traffic snarls and congestions like the by-pass road/outer ring road skirting the town. Earlier, the National Highway (Madras-Calcutta) was passing through Ongole town. Incidentally, the railway station was another victim of such a haphazard growth.
In the later-day instances, illegal structures were residential in nature with low or in adequate toilet facilities. Ram Nagar, once a sought after high-end middle-class colony, is getting congested.

Ongole town and its surrounding villages were tobacco-belt once. Tobacco was a major crop and many families were dependent on its fortunes. Based on the yield, one could see prosperity and poverty in one’s household. Another indicator of the tobacco output was the cinema hall. If tobacco business flourished, theatres would screen the latest films, and a bad season meant old films getting exhibited.

All that is past. The agricultural pattern and even basic crop structure has undergone a sea-change.

Recently, while passing through the villages of Karavadi, Uluchi and NG Padu, I noticed that lift irrigation has been well developed and river Gundlakamma has been exploited to the tilt. Each lift irrigation scheme was designed to irrigate 500 to 1000 acres, due to which dry land was transformed to wet and cultivable ones.

However, these schemes were not pursued on a sustainable basis resulting in their malfunctioning over a period. Scanty rainfall and depletion of ground water led to the river bed getting dried-up, adding to the woes of the farmers.

This has led to drastic structural changes in the land use pattern. One is that barren tracts have turned into brick-making and non-agricultural land. The soil texture has been affected with top soil dug out as clay for the bricks and hard soil (Morram) excavated indiscriminately in open government lands for construction and road works. Much of the left over land is abandoned.

Perhaps, these could be converted in to small ponds or storage tanks to collect rain water and help raise the ground water table in the area, if not serve as irrigation or drinking water sources.

This reminds me of old Chola method that sustained cultivation in the districts of Chittoor and Nellore and adjoining northern Tamil Nadu districts for centuries.

Another alternate use of vast stretches of agricultural lands, I witnessed is the extensive cultivation of Eucalyptus and casurina plantations in and around Addanki and Martur areas requiring very little day-to-day care. And that costs less.

These factors have propelled farmers to go in for these changes partly driven by demand from paper mills. Unrest among cultivators for remunerative prices is again an issue bothering local administration every harvest season.

This change in cropping pattern has to be seen with a scientific bent of agriculture research.

Farm labour seems to have grown scarce. A consequence is the virtual disappearance of famed Ongole bull. For that matter, the activity of cattle breeding has drastically come down. I used to get photographs of Ongole bulls bagging first and second prizes in cattle fares. It is no more prevalent and remains only in memory.

What is the reason for this drift in their agriculture base change? What is to happen to those farmers dependent on allied activity as a sustainable alternate to agricultural occupation? These questions actually engaged my mind when I saw this distressing trend.

I was told that farm labour, which used to be adequate in the past, is no more available on affordable terms. Labourers used to come from adjoining areas and stay in the farms. They would be given wages in cash and kind and also provided with food, shelter and clothes. Available all the time to look after cattle round the clock. Such continued attention was required for the superior Ongole bull breed.

In olden days, a bull used to be the main animal for ploughing and as a mode of transportation. Buffaloes, I understand, could do these jobs but it was a matter of status. Now tractors have largely replaced the bull and buffalo. Given the technological advancements, the bull has not only grown costly but also dispensable.

(The writer is a former Collector of Prakasam district)