JAISALMER: Being the most reliable means of transport in the desert, Camel, till about a decade ago, were indispensible for people in some of the remotest villages in western parts of Rajasthan. With improved connectivity, thanks to the everexpanding network of roads, the traditional and most reliable mode of transport has now been replaced with an all-weather 4×4 mean machines that can quickly scale the huge sand dunes.
Even the border villages of Mitharu and Karda in Jaisalmer district, where the postal department relied upon a privately hired camel to deliver letters till 2006, are easily accessible by SUVs.

The impact can be measured by the dwindling population of what once was known as the “ship of desert”. According to the ‘Livestock Census Rajasthan 2012’, the camel population in the state registered a steep decline of 22.79% in just five years. The number fell from 421,836 in 2007 to 325,713 in the year of census. In 2003, the camel population in the state stood at 498,024.

On the other hand, the number of four wheelers has been witnessing a steady rise in the desert district of Jaisalmer. According to the RTO, there were 398 fourwheelers registered in the district in 2014-15, which increased to 462 in 2015-16 and 470 in 2016-17.

According to a prominent auto-finance company in Jodhpur, more and more new dealerships are opening in the desert-belt of the state to sell SUVs. “We have witnessed a 3-4% annual rise in the sale of four-wheelers here. The 4×4 vehicles are much in demand now and villagers prefer it than keeping camels. Most of these vehicles are bought on loan,” says Hanuman Ram, a senior auto-finance company official.
Rise affects residents dependent on camels Rise in number of SUVs and their use for transportation purposes has impacted the lives of people who were dependent on camels for their livelihood. Sumeer Singh, 42, was hired by the gram panchayats of Mithrau and Karda and the then district collector as a special messenger to deliver letters in these two border villages. For Rs 600 per month Sumeer would travel 64 km from dawn to dusk on his camel to deliver posts at these villages every day.
The last he delivered the posts was in 2006. Out of job, Sumeer, now, is a lost soul wandering in the desert just like the camels that he once travelled on. “Between 1980 and 1990 all posts to remote villages like Tejrawa, Kapuria, Lunar, Karda, Revri, Khuiyana were essentially ferried on camels. But post-1990 that stopped as buses and cow carts started ferrying letters, with improved connectivity, except for the border villages of Mithrau and Karda where Sumeer Singh was hired on a personal initiative of the then district collector,” said Kishanpal Singh, post master, Jaisalmer.
In the far-flung Hussaino Ki Dhani, on a barren stretch of land, a Bolero parked outside Hassam Khan‘s hut is a clear giveaway of the newage ship of the desert. Khan sold off his camel in 2010 and now uses a Mahindra SUV for ferrying goods. Source : timesofindia