Ahmedabad's high-profile metro rail project evicts tribal workers "settled" for 15 years, no compensation paid

By A Representative
The Majur Adhikar Manch (MAM), an organization catering to the informal sector workers' rights in Ahmedabad, has taken strong exception to the Gujarat government “evicting” 56 tribal families – most of them construction workers – as part of its preparations of the high-profile metro rail project.
The MAM has alleged, the eviction was in “gross violation of Metro Project Resettlement Guidelines”, pointing out, the guidelines specified under the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report of the project specifically requires that there should be no forcible eviction, even as talking of adequate compensation.
The MAM statement came immediately after a demolition squad, cosisting of about 200 workers, all belonging to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), landing up at the site and demolishing the huts, even as encircling the land, and throwing out the families.
“The families were not given a single rupee. This is in gross violation of the resettlement guidelines listed above. We have given notice to the AMC authorities and demanded action against guilty officials”, MAM said.
“The families are all tribal from Dahod and Jhabua districts of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh”, MAM said, adding, “They are construction workers who have been living on the site near the sewage treatment plant in Juhapura area of Ahmedabad for the last 15 years. The land is now needed for construction of Gyaspur depot of the metro rail project.”

MAM claimed, citing the report, “The metro project resettlement guidelines provide for compensating even squatters, who are living on the land to be acquired. The compensation to be given to squatters is specified on page 52 of the report that is available on the net” (click HERE to download).
The benefits that should be given to the squatters, according to the report, include valuation of the structure in which they live, right to salvage the affected materials, one-time subsistence allowance of Rs 3,000 per month for a year from the date of the award, and one time shifting assistance of Rs 50,000.”
Over and above all this, the report states, the project affected persons (PAPs), losing residential units, would “be offered tenements of 36.5square metres at residential buildings by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC).”
MAM insisted, the metro survey had “listed these families as living on the land”, and “this record is given in the report on page No 21.” It adds, “The families were suddenly given notices asking them to prove their residence status and their names in the earlier counts of the AMC.”
“However, as a policy, the AMC does not count migrant tribal workers residents in many settlements around the city”, the MAM statement, signed by Ramesh Srivastava, secretary, MAM, said, adding, the MAM has been drawing attention about the need to consider them as residents “for the last five years on the issue”, yet nothing has happened.

Comments

Sudhir Katiyar said…

In spite of clear resettlement guidelines adopted by MEGA project, guidelines that are available on web site, the tribal families were evicted without any compensation. This shows that AMC does not count tribals as human beings entitled to human rights. They are to be thrown out whenever deemed fit.

October 22, 2015

Kani said…

they should get compensation

October 23, 2015

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Proposals for Babri Masjid, Ram Temple spark fears of polarisation before West Bengal polls

By A Representative A political debate has emerged in West Bengal following recent announcements about plans for new religious structures in Murshidabad district, including a proposed mosque to be named Babri Masjid and a separate announcement by a BJP leader regarding the construction of a Ram temple in another location within Behrampur.

Global LNG boom 'threatens climate goals': Banks urged to end financing

By A Representative The world is on the brink of an unprecedented surge in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development, with 279 new projects planned globally, threatening to derail international climate goals and causing severe local impacts. This stark warning comes from a coalition of organizations—including Reclaim Finance, Rainforest Action Network, BankTrack, and others—that today launched the " Exit LNG " website, a new mapping project exposing the extent of the expansion, the companies involved, and their bank financiers.

Search This Blog