16 years after Gujarat riots, 3380 families live in 83 rehab colonies without housing rights, basic amenities

By Jag Jivan*
Data compiled by several of Gujarat's civil society organizations, who have worked for the rehabilitation of victims of 2002 communal riots, in which about 2,000 people, most of them Muslims, died, have revealed that, as of today, as many as 3,380 displaced families -- or about 17,000 persons -- continue to live in 83 rehabilitation colonies in the state.
Calling them Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs), an internationally recognised term coined for identifying those who are forced to leave their place of living due to violent conflicts, a note prepared by Janvikas, an Ahmedabad-based NGO which has been involved in coordinating the rehabilitation process, says that maximum number of colonies, 17, are in Anand district.
This followed by Ahmedabad 15, Sabarkantha 13, Panchmahals 11, Mehsana 8, Vadodara 6, Aravalli 5, and Bharuch and Kheda 4 each. All 83 colonies, contends the report, lack basic amenities, and those residing here do not have any ownership rights. They do not have access to internal or approach roads, and access to gutter system and street lights.

Despite the fact that, claims the note, as many as six applications have been sent to the Gujarat chief minister since September 2, 2015 pleading for basic facilities to the 83 IDP colonies, nothing has happened, as it became clear from a Right to Information (RTI) reply of May 3, 2017. This is apart from 15 applications that have been handed over to district-level officials by local social workers and organizations.

The data of colonies are based in those provided by organizations which have worked for IDPs' rehabilitation in the colonies -- Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind, Gujarat Sarvajanik Relief Committee, Islamic Relief Committee, United Economic Forum, apart from several small local trusts and individuals.

Providing a complete list of the 83 rehabilitation colonies, the note wants that the state government must urgently work for evolving a "separate rehabilitation policy (housing/ education/ basic amenities/ livelihood/ health services/ entitlements) for people who have been displaced", insisting, a separate housing policy -- encompassing both (urban and rural housing policy --should be formulated "for people who have been displaced due to Gujarat 2002."
It demands, "State government proactively works to make the title clear and transfer of ownership of houses in the name of Victims. Those trusts who have documents of colonies should initiate the process of transfer of ownership."
The note says, "The state government should take immediate measures to provide basic amenities like drinking water, sanitation, access to health care facilities to people living in colonies", adding, it should make "a special programme and budgetary allocation for provision of basic amenities for families displaced due to communal conflict under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme."

Pointing out that "under the Prime Minister’s New 15 Point Programme, the state government received Rs 2 lakh in the year 2014-2015, and Rs10 crore for the Multi Sectoral Development Programme" minorities, the note says, "The unspent fund should be utilized for provision of basic amenities in the IDP colonies of Gujarat."
Significantly, both past and present Indian governments have refuses to admit that there are any IDPs in India, who are defined by the United Nations report, Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement as "persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence."
These persons or groups have had to leave "in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border", it adds.

---

*Freelance writer

Comments

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

By A Representative A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

By Rajiv Shah This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress.

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians.

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan* A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Search This Blog