Written Analysis and Communication I

Case Analysis - Bhavnath Temple

Name: Sidharth Udani Roll No.: 101252 Section: B Date of Submission: 16th July 2010

Institute of Management, University Executive Summary:

Nirma

The need to boost the economic developments in North Gujarat led to the proposal of creating a reservoir. The problem was that the villagers were not willing to relocate themselves to any other places. A primary reason associated with this problem being the submergence of the Bhavnath Temple, to which the people owed reverence. Keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the people, it would be the best for the Government to stick to the original proposed plan and prepare accordingly to acquire land, house and sources of livelihood for the villagers, who would have to shift to another location.

Total Words: 100

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Main Report:

Problems:
Convincing the people to relocate at some other place so that the reservoir can be created.

Selecting an alternate location where the deities of the Bhavnath Temple could be shifted.

Convincing the people to let the Bhavnath temple lie submerged and the deities being taken to another place.

Choosing the better option whether to go for the revised control levels of the reservoir or not.

Causes:
As India gained independence in the year 1947, the central and the provincial government decided to make some plans for the all-round economic developments. It was then proposed to build earthen dams across the rivers Lokmata and Sadmata in the northern part of Gujarat. This creation would lead to the submergence of 10,500 acres of land, affecting 20 villages, out of which 8 of them would be completely

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submerged and have to be resettled elsewhere. This led to the problem of resettlement of the people living in that area. The details of the initial proposal (Refer to Appendix I) was seemingly accepted by the villagers but before the final proposal was made, the interest of raising irrigation potential led to raised control levels. Now under this revised proposal, there was no possibility to which the temple could be saved from submergence. The Government then began to select alternative location where the deities of the temples could be shifted. This led to the problem of selecting the most appropriate location of the temple; if at all the temple was to be shifted. The selection of the alternate location was again opposed and the people were rigid in their demand to save the Bhavnath Temple. This led to the problem of convincing the people to let the temple get submerged and the deities be taken to some other locations. In the year 1960, the newly formed State of Gujarat began to think about implementing the dam scheme so as to increase the agricultural production. They were inclined to accept the second alternative which was leading to the submergence of the Bhavnath Temple. But again the problem of selecting the better of the two plans came into

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picture as the second revised plan led to the strong opposition from the villagers.

Criteria:

The main problem, as found by analyzing the situation, is to convince the people to shift to another location while letting the Bhavnath temple get submerged. Although the Government had arranged for plans to provide land and houses to the villagers at some other locations, the people did not want to leave their villages. This is proved by the fact that the people chose the submergence of the temple as an important reason to go against the construction of the dam. The Bhavnath temple was undoubtedly an important asset to the villagers. This was also a point of tourist attraction who, along with the villagers, owed faith and reverence to the temple. Thus, the villagers were not ready to see the temple getting submerged and the deities being relocated somewhere. Furthermore, the fact that the villagers seemed satisfied, when the Government announced steps to protect the temple under the original unrevised plan, proves that they were unhappy to relocate at some other areas.

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Options:
The decision makers involved in this case are

The Minister-in-charge Public Works Department engineers. Religious authorities of the Bhavnath Temple. Villagers

As it is a newly formed State of Gujarat, it is a crucial decision to be made by the Ministers. At the most basic stage, the Government should first consider whether to go for the creation of the reservoir or not. In case, it does go for the creation of the reservoir, then the following options are available to the Government: Choosing the most appropriate option between the original plan of reservoir construction and the revised one.

Convincing the people to relocate to some other areas by providing them with sufficient land, houses

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to live in, and to provide them a new source of livelihood. Selecting the most appropriate location where the deities can be shifted, while observing fully all the religious rites. Saving the Bhavnath Temple by following the first proposed plan instead of the second revised one.

Evaluation:
The Appendix II suggests that it is better to go with the second proposed plan. However, under the second plan as proposed, there is no way in which Bhavnath Temple can be saved. This is due to the strong opposition from the people staying there. If, supposedly, we also consider the shifting of the deities of the temple, it is important to select a location which would be the closest from the original location of the temple. This is essential to preserve the inflow of tourism and restoring the beliefs of the people.

Decision:
Due to the strong opposition of the people staying in those villages, and the implicit assumption that the people are

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not willing to either relocate to some other areas and also not willing to let the temple get submerged, the most appropriate decision would be to go for the first plan. The Government, then, must ensure that all the villagers get proper means of livelihood, appropriate lands and houses. It should also ensure that it would take steps to protect the temple and to provide an all-weather access to the temple. They should also be able to provide gates on the water weir, so that the floodwater does not rise to endanger the temple.

Contingency:
If the villagers still remain adamant, the second proposed plan should be executed. The Government is getting several advantages by switching to the revised plan and furthermore, it should ensure that the deity is shifted to some another appropriate place, keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the people. Here, we are assuming the trade-off between the sentiments and the economy development of the state by assuming that economic development is more important than the religious sentiments of some part of the people living in the State of Gujarat and that the entire state would be benefitted by the formation of the reservoir.

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Total words: 998.

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Exhibit I:
The initial proposed plan for the creation of the reservoir: Benefits:

The dams would be able to impound 4700 million cu. ft. of water to develop irrigation of 92,000 acres of land.

The direct irrigable area was 19,300 acres. The indirect benefit of irrigation was to flow to about 73,600 acres.

The irrigation project would yield 15.83 lakhs of revenue annually at completion with a return counted at 4.37 percent.

Statistics involved:
The reservoir would have a catchment area of 230 sq. miles.

The average rainfall in the area was 34. The Full Supply Level, Highest Flood Level and top of the dam level were fixed at Reduced Level of 592,596 and 601 respectively.

The increase in agricultural production was estimated at 30,400 tons every year and was valued at 147.74 lakhs.

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Exhibit II:
The revised proposal plan:

Changes as compared to the original plan:

The FSL is raised to 595 and the HFL to 606. The capacity of the reservoir rises from 4,700 million sq. ft. to 5,700 million cu.ft.

The cost increases from Rs. 1.7 crores to Rs. 1.9 crores.

Comparison of the original plan and the revised plan:

Under the revised plan the capacity of the reservoir rises from 4700 million cu. ft. to 5700 million cu. ft. which is an increase of about 21% of more capacity, whereas the cost increases from about Rs. 1.7 crores to Rs. 1.9 crores which is an increase of 11%.

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