Gujarat govt begins "grabbing" land allocated to Narmada dam oustees 15 yrs ago invoking town planning law

Narmada oustees

By A Representative
In move without precedence, the Gujarat government has begun to evict Narmada dam oustees, settled in resettlement colonies in the state. One such oustee, Bijalbhai, originally from village Shurpan of Dediapada taluka in Bharuch district, was resettled about 15 years ago at a resettlement site called Dabhoinada in district Vadodara. On September 2, officials of Dabhoi municipality told him to vacate from his plot, survey No 1,434 area, an agricultural land measuring 1.37 acres, allocated to him as part of resettlement entitlement.
A Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) statement quoting the incident, said, the officials came with police force, vacated him from his plot, forcibly took him to the Dabhoi police station, and demolished his hut, which he also used as a small tea shop. “The municipal authorities issued a notice to Bijalbhai bhai on August 12, in the presence of officials from the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), which said there was a court order, and its execution demanded that Bijalbhai should vacate the land”, the NBA said in a statement.
Forwarded by Medha Patkar, top social activist and leader of NBA, the statement said, the municipal authorities has applied the state government’s town planning Act, which required Bijalbhai to part with 40 per cent of his land for town infrastructure development. “When Bijalbhai, a tribal, his family and other villagers protested, the municipal officials threatened other resettlers that the town planning Act would apply on them as well. Bijalbhai was told, if he resisted he would be arrested, so he had better sign up papers handing over the plot”, the statement said.
In fact, according to the statement, Bijalbhai and others showed the title of the agri-plot which was allotted to them in 1999 as part of resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) package. This prompted Patkar and 50 other representatives of resettlement sites and other activists to reach the site to lodge a complaint with the police over forcible eviction threatened upon Bijalbhai. “The police station refused to file a complaint”, the statement complained.
Bijalbhai’s case is not an isolated incident, according to the NBA. “It has been observed that Gujarat has gone all out to vacate as many persons as possible from the plots of land allotted to the adivasi oustees. Since the land prices in and around Dabhoi, as also in other talukas, have escalated many times, original landowners and the state’s statuary agencies are putting pressure on adivasis to return the land”, the statement said, calling it a “conspiracy” against the oustees.
“Earlier, resistance was put up by the people of Dabhoinada resettlement colony under the leadership of Shankarbhai Tadvi and others associated with the NBA. They were sought to be driven away by grabbers of land”, the statement said, adding, “A list of about hundred families resettled in Gujarat, that included some oustees from Madhya Pradesh as well, was prepared and the government authorities conveyed to them that they would have to vacate the plots, though they were their rightful owners for the last 10-15 years”.
It may be noted that the town planning Act is being invoke (click HERE to read) to evict farmers from their land in special investment regions (SIRs) of Gujarat, sought to be promoted as modern townships. The farmers from Ahmedabad district’s Dholera SIR, which is being promoted as one of the 100 smart cities of India, have already received notices to hand over between 40 and 50 per cent of their land under the town planning Act. The matter came up as a major point of contention at the environmental public hearing for Dholera SIR, held on January 3, 2014.

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

From ancient wisdom to modern nationhood: The Indian story

By Syed Osman Sher South of the Himalayas lies a triangular stretch of land, spreading about 2,000 miles in each direction—a world of rare magic. It has fired the imagination of wanderers, settlers, raiders, traders, conquerors, and colonizers. They entered this country bringing with them new ethnicities, cultures, customs, religions, and languages.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan* The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov, the artist who survived Stalin's cultural purges

By Harsh Thakor* Sergei Vasilyevich Gerasimov (September 14, 1885 – April 20, 1964) was a Soviet artist, professor, academician, and teacher. His work was posthumously awarded the Lenin Prize, the highest artistic honour of the USSR. His paintings traced the development of socialist realism in the visual arts while retaining qualities drawn from impressionism. Gerasimov reconciled a lyrical approach to nature with the demands of Soviet socialist ideology.

Search This Blog