Close to Jaipur, but far away from development

Dausa, the ancient city near Jaipur, derives its name from the Sanskrit word “Dhau-sa”, which means ‘beautiful like heaven’. Present day Dausa, though, hardly resembles its name as far as development in the district concerned.
The district headquarters closest to Jaipur is Dausa. Being close to the capital city has its advantages. But in the long run the same advantages may turn into disadvantages too.Dausa residents understand the paradox better. For long, the residents have observed that their elected representatives have been ignoring the district’s needs for better education and health facilities on the pretext that the needy can easily travel to Jaipur, which has the state’s best of the facilities.
Dausa has five assembly constituencies but most of these still lack colleges, especially for the girls. Even during the Gujjar quota agitation, which had its epicenter in Dausa-Bharatpur, the demand for better education facilities was emphasised by the protesters. “Governments have not been considering our demand for better schools and colleges seriously. The authorities take the matter lightly believing that Dausa is well connected to Jaipur, which has top class facilities,” said Himmat Singh Gurjar, one of the quota agitation leaders.
The district once had good water sources and farming was a key occupation of the locals. The groundwater has gone down due to overexploitation and no measures have been taken to recharge it. Today, the water is scarce not only for irrigation but also for drinking. Locals say there is no water available even up to 400-ft below the ground.
Dausa is known for its stone tiles. As one drives through Sikandra along the Jaipur-Agra national highway, the works of its artisans can be seen displayed on both sides of the road. The business, however, has been going slow for past few years. The district has no other industry that can support its workforce. The youth have to migrate to other parts of the country in search of jobs once their education is over.
Despite the district falling on an intersection of great road and rail network, the government has unable to develop it into a tourist destination. The district has great heritage structures whose architecture is unparalleled. The Bhandarej Fort, Chand Baori (stepwell) of Abhaneri and the Roman style church attract many local tourists. A little government support can take these spots on international tourism map as the district falls on the Delhi-Agra-Jaipur golden triangle route. An express highway would soon pass through the district for which the government has already acquired agriculture land.
Dausa is dominated by Gujjars and Meenas. Of the three BJP and two NPP legislators it elected in 2013, two are Gujjars, one is Brahmin, while the two other seats are reserved for SC and ST. BJP suffered a setback this week when its Dausa Lok Sabha MP Harish Meena joined Congress, which has fielded him from Tonk’s Deoli-Uniara assembly seat in the December 7 elections. BJP would be banking on its tribal leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena.