The bulldozer's work in connecting remote mountainous and forest villages to civlization has reduced the villages' mortality rates.

A non-motorable road can be as precarious as the space between life and death. This is what inhabitants of Naya Basti, a forest village in the Himalayan district of Darjeeling in West Bengal, learnt recently.

A remote hamlet at the top of a hill — it would take a person about two hours to reach the main road. But all that changed when a bulldozer was brought in to clear out a 3-kilometre path through dense woods and forests, connecting the village to the outside world; cutting short the commute time from 2 hours to 20 minutes.

Unpaved still, this 3-kilometre road's biggest impact has been in reducing the village's mortality rate. Earlier, patients had to be manually carried on stretchers down the hill on foot trails to access the main road from where cars could be availed to reach the hospital. Lives were lost along the way. With the new development, ambulances can now directly reach the village, giving patients a better chance for survival.

Earlier, patients had to be manually carried on stretchers down the hill on foot trails to access the main road from where cars could be availed to reach the hospital. Lives were lost along the way.

We exist at a time when a utilitarian JCB bulldozer has assumed an identity of its own. It is no less a mean machine, given its recent unpropitious acts, propelled by those in power. Months ago, an anti-encroachment drive by South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), was averted at Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi, when residents intervened. This is where anti-CAA protests took place two years ago. A day later it was New Friends Colony and also Mangolpuri by North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), which witnessed its threat.

Far removed from the heat and dust of the capital, the same heavy machine has been used for an altruistic purpose. The bulldozer used to pave the way for people in Darjeeling belongs to Ajoy Edwards, owner of Glenary's bakery and Darjeeling Branch President of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF).

Though bulldozers are usually associated with destruction, contractors and corruption, this one has become an icon for humanitarian work. It is expensive to hire one, but its services are provided free of cost as part of the numerous philanthropic activities carried out by the Edwards Foundation, a charity organisation run by Edwards' wife, Namrata.

The bulldozer's services are provided free of cost by the Edwards Foundation, a philanthropic organisation run by Ajoy and Namrata Edwards.

Besides digging, the bulldozer has been extensively used to clear roads and helps in rescue efforts during landslides brought on by monsoons. The natural disaster causes roads to collapse or become buried under rubble, effectively blocking off communication and making certain areas inaccessible.

"Every time a village or road was blocked, the bulldozer was sent, even to far-flung areas all around Darjeeling and Kalimpong," said Edwards. The bulldozer's operator, Wangdi, informed that he cleared more than 30 landslides and dug roads in nearly 100 villages over the past year.

Though it was first deployed for landslide relief work, villagers gradually began to request its services for constructing roads to connect their villages to the main roads, as some sanctioned roads were incomplete or didn't reach villages. In some villages, such as Samthar Kavi in Kalimpong, a completely new track had to be cut through the forest.

Villagers requested the bulldozer's services to connect their villages to the main roads, as some sanctioned roads were incomplete or didn't reach villages.

The bulldozer has been extensively used to clear roads and helps in rescue efforts during landslides brought on by monsoons.

Apart from making these villages accessible, communication has improved and rations reach directly. Earlier, villagers had to carry heavy piles of sand and cement on their heads uphill for construction purposes. Now, cars do the same job, saving them the effort.

"For farmers, transporting their produce costs around Rs 100-150. Now they can avail transportation for Rs 15 only," said Arun Chhetri from Lopchu Peshok, Darjeeling. This area, famous for tea gardens, saw six roads being built by the bulldozer.

Apart from making these villages accessible, communication has improved and rations reach directly.

It takes about a week or more to dig a road, depending upon the terrain and previously existing paths. During this time, Wangdi lives in that village. "The Foundation provides me with diesel costs for about 4-5 days. The rest is covered by the villagers who also help me dig the road," he said.

The bulldozer has also been used to make playgrounds. "The area of our small playground was increased to a nine-a-side field. The Foundation provided footballs and jerseys for 60-70 village kids and funds to renovate and paint our community hall. It also took care of the treatment of a boy who had to undergo neurosurgery," said Pramod Tamang from Simkuna 3rd Mile, a village about 14 km from Darjeeling town.

The bulldozer has also been used to make playgrounds.

The Foundation worked tirelessly during the pandemic to help people as well. It covered rent and paid for cooking gas in urban areas and offered monetary grants to 1800 migrant workers who were stranded in different places across the country, so that they could return to their villages. It also distributed gloves and face masks to 80 tea gardens in Darjeeling, as well as to hundreds of taxi drivers.

During the monsoon, when poor people's houses leaked, tarpaulins, food packets and essential medicines were distributed in rural areas. Glenary's offered daily breakfast to about 30 daily wage workers for four months during the first lockdown and distributed bread and bakery items to orphanages, old-age homes and rehab centers. This is only a fraction of Edwards's benevolence; he has been at it for the past two decades with private funding.

Buddha Tamang, a farmer and member of GNLF who oversaw the bulldozer's work in Kalimpong, blames political corruption for the despicable state of affairs in rural areas. "The government receives funds for development work, none of which percolates to the grassroot level. So, we try to help villages by making roads," he said.

The bulldozer has been there to clear more than 30 landslides and dug roads in nearly 100 remote and inaccessible villages over the past year in the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

Even though the roads dug by the bulldozer are not complete, they are usable. The villages aren't cut off from civilisation anymore. Vikas Pradhan, the owner of Darjeeling's Revolver hotel, summed it up succinctly: "The bulldozer remains on standby for any clearing and rescue effort required. To have it during moments of crises is not just a novelty but a true lifesaver. It has become a symbol of hope for many so far."