1250 families in posh western Ahmedabad forced to defecate in open, have no houses for 20 years, Gujarat CM told

Parsottam Vaghela in a Valmiki locality

By A Representative
Providing a glimpse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s model city, Manav Garima Trust (MGT), a voluntary organization working among the Valmiki community for over 15 years, has revealed there are as many as 1,250 Valmiki families are living in western Ahmedabad’s post localities without any basic amenities, not to talk of housing.
In a representation to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, MGT’s Parsottam Vaghela, has said, these families are “without any basic facilities and live either in the open or in make-shift shanties, with most of them working as sanitary workers under private contractors.” Valmikis are considered the lowest sub-caste among Dalits and have been working as manual scavengers.
Vaghela, who met Rupani in Gandhinagar Sachivalaya, told Counterview, “When I told chief minister that, sans any basic facilities, these families defecate in the open, he was in a state of disbelief, and immediately picked up the phone, asking the Ahmedabad municipal commissioner to look into the matter immediately.”
“Living in an atmosphere of insecurity, they have been living amidst filth for the last 15 to 20 years after migrating from other parts of Gujarat in search of job”, Vaghela said in his written representation, a copy of which is with Counterview, adding, “Most of them work in the nearby posh houses and flats as sanitary workers.”
Pointing out that their average life span is between 50 and 55 years, Vaghela said, “It has been our long-standing demand to provide them with permanent housing, in the same way as Modi, as Gujarat chief minister, gave housing to 370 families in Maninagar constituency in 2005 and 2008.”
Identifying the areas where these Valmiki families live – Vejalpur, Jodhpur, Thaltej, Bhamriya, Sola, Sarkhej, Makarba, Salpara, Bodakdev and Vastrapur – the representation said, nearly 2,800 children of these families are devoid of any proper education.
“Though enrolled in school, these children accompany their parents going to posh housing societies for cleaning work”, the representation said, adding, “Most of them drop out early. In fact, they are not part of any social policy of the state government.”
Giving the instance of 54 families, living in temporary shanties on Plot No 185 next to the Ishant Tower in the “developed” Jodhpur area, Vaghela said, “They have been living there for the last 12 years. Though they have all the documents such as election card, ration card, and were even taken in Modi’s Garib Melas, they are constantly threatened with eviction.”
Seeking alternative housing for these 54 families, Vaghela accused authorities of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for keeping them on tenterhooks and fear, Vaghela said, families such as these are the worst off among the Valmiki community of Ahmedabad.
The representation included demand for the providing Rs 10 lakh, as directed by the Supreme Court, to each of the 170 Valmikis who have died in Gujarat due to asphyxiation while cleaning up gutters, and a complete ban on manual scavenging in Ahmedabad and the state.
It said, “There are 200 spots in Ahmedabad when dry latrines still exist, and where sanitary workers must clean them up manually every day. Many of them are employed as manhole workers and are forced to dangerously enter into gutters without any masks and other equipment, thus exposed to poisonous gases.”

Manhole worker files complaint
Two days after the representation, on November 30, a manual scavenger, Muljibhai Ambalal, filed a complaint with the police station in the well-off Vastrapur area, where he was forced to enter into the gutter in violation of the law, which prohibits manual scavenging.
Accompanied by Vaghela, Ambalal said in his complaint that he was “forced to enter into the gutter without any proper equipment”. He was not even made aware of the type of work which he was being forced to do before he was taken to the spot – near Sola Bridge, near Jognimata temple.

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

Public responses to the niqab incident and Iltija Mufti’s legal complaint

By Raqif Makhdoomi* Following an incident in which the Chief Minister of Bihar was seen pulling aside the niqab of a Muslim woman doctor during a public interaction, the episode drew widespread attention and debate across India. Public reactions were divided, with some defending the action and others criticising it as an infringement on personal autonomy and dignity. The incident was widely circulated on social media and reported by national and international media outlets.

Search This Blog