Kapsi

From the administrative perspective, the village has a rather complex setup. For planning and development under the Panchayati Raj system of local self-governance, Kapsi is divided into two independent gram panchayats (village councils) namely:

1. Bade Kapsi (Devanagari: बड़े कापसी) - It lies to the east of the Devda ravine and falls under the newly established (June 2021) Badgaon up-tehsil. It is often referred to as Purana Kapsi in maps prepared by various Government agencies.[2][10][11]
2. Chhote Kapsi (Devanagari: छोटे कापसी) - It lies to the west of the Devda ravine and falls under the direct jurisdiction of Pakhanjur tehsil. It is often referred to as Naya Kapsi in maps prepared by various Government agencies.[2][11][12]

At the block level, both the gram panchayats fall under the administrative jurisdiction of the Koyalibeda Janapad Panchayat.

Tree-lined avenue in front of Forest Colony, Bade Kapsi

Kapsi along with the neighbouring smaller gram panchayats of Aalor, Bapu Nagar and Harangarh form the Bade Kapsi Rurban Cluster. The aim of the project is to enhance the standard of living of the residents by providing better basic and social amenities.[13] The integrated cluster action plan (ICAP) was approved in 2018 under the phase II of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rurban Mission by the Govt. of India.[14] The vision of the cluster is to retain the dominant agrarian culture besides borrowing urban features such as developing skilled labour force and specializing into value addition based livelihood intensive activities such as maize processing.[15]

Chhote Kapsi was the first village in the Kanker parliamentary constituency to be identified for development under the ambitious Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana of the Government of India.[16] The inaugural ceremony was flagged off at a public event on 27 March 2015, by then Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Vikram Usendi, in presence of government officials and public representatives from the district.[17] The primary objective of the scheme is to develop model villages to provide better standards of living and quality of life for inclusive growth of the rural population through improved basic amenities, better livelihood opportunities, enriched social capital, etc.[18]

However, after the initial fanfare the scheme failed to achieve its declared objectives in the development of the village due to apathy, poor planning and lack of funds.[19]

The Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) operates a feeder substation and distribution centre at Bade Kapsi, which supplies power to the locality and collects payments for electricity bills.[20]

State owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) provides wired landline, 2G/3G cellular telephony and fibre broadband internet services in Kapsi. Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (Jio) has started providing 4G LTE cellular services since November 2021 and 5G services since July 2023. However, the quality of voice and internet services remain dismal from both the telecom service providers due to undercapacity and lack of investment in upgrading their infrastructure.

A non-functional cellular tower erected by the now defunct Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM) of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group also exists. Both the BSNL and RCOM facilities were vandalized and set on fire by Maoist rebels in an attack in December 2008. The BSNL services were reinstated within a few weeks after the incident whereas the RCOM service remained suspended and was subsequently withdrawn.[21][22]

Due insufficient healthcare facilities, the residents primarily rely on home-made remedies and quackery as the first response to medical needs. The government run Primary Health Centre (PHC) in the village is heavily understaffed and underequipped to provide any meaningful treatment even to the outpatients. A couple of privately run health facilities provide primary healthcare. Higher healthcare needs are referred to cities such as Dalli Rajhara, Dhamtari, Bhilai and Raipur.

The economy of Kapsi is chiefly agrarian. Large scale cultivation of paddy and maize are undertaken throughout Rabi and Kharif crop seasons. Fish farming and dairy farming are other major primary sector activities practised by the populace. Under the aegis of Department of Fisheries, Govt. Of Chhattisgarh, the Bade Kapsi Rurban Cluster has become an important centre for pisciculture in the state, even exporting to the neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Odisha.[13] Sericulture and horticulture are also gradually gaining ground, albeit practised by a few.

Forests play an important role in the lives of the people, providing food and livelihood by way of minor forest produce and employment as casual labour in the Forest department. They provide for consumer needs such fuel, firewood, medicines, food, beverages, and housing materials, among others.[23]

Kapsi hosts a regular market that provides goods and services to the surrounding locality.[1][5] The Netaji market in Chhote Kapsi is the main commercial hub of the area. A new market in Bade Kapsi is also quickly taking shape to cater to the growing business requirements.

The following public-sector banks operate in Kapsi:

Kapsi is situated on Chhattisgarh State Highway 25 and is served only by road transport.[27] It is well connected to all regional towns and cities by buses operated at regular intervals. For local commute, auto rickshaws and share taxis are available throughout the day.

Badgaon-Kapsi section on Chhattisgarh State Highway 25

The approximate distance of regional towns and cities from Kapsi is as follows:

Imprints of the final location survey of Gadchiroli-Bhanupratappur rail line near New Colony in Kapsi

Kapsi is not connected to the network of Indian Railways. The nearest local railway station is Keoti (KETI), at a distance of 50 km (31 mi) from Kapsi, on the Dalli Rajhara–Jagdalpur line. Daily DEMU services connect this station to Raipur via Durg. The nearest long-haul railway station is Durg Jn. (DURG), 180 km (110 mi) away on the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai line.

There has been demands from various quarters to construct the proposed Gadchiroli-Bhanupratappur rail line via Durgukondal, Kapsi and Pakhanjur instead of via Manpur.[28][29][30] This proposed line would serve as an alternative route between Nagpur and Vishakhapatnam — one of the busiest freight corridors in the country — by linking the Nagpur-Wadsa-Gadchiroli line to the Bhanupratappur-Jagdalpur-Vishakhapatnam line. When completed, this line would provide a much needed impetus to the development of this remote area.[31]

In May 2022, the Ministry of Railways (India) provided an in-principle approval for the survey of this line. Subsequently, it allocated a budget of ₹3.37 crore (US$420,000) for the survey.[32][33] Given the importance of this project, the South Eastern Central Railway zone fast-tracked the regulatory process and in August of the same year floated tenders for the final location survey and preparation of the Detailed Project Report.[34][35] The survey was commissioned soon after, also tracing its way through Kapsi as a possible station enroute. As of 30 July 2023, the results of the survey including its status, the final route and the deadline are yet to be made public.

The nearest domestic airport from Kapsi is Swami Vivekananda Airport in Naya Raipur, approximately 210 km (130 mi) away.