Indian Railways "bulldoze" makeshift shanties in Ahmedabad as Modi decides to visit to city on Gandhi Jayanti

By A Representative
The Indian railway authorities on Saturday “bulldozed” about 50 make-shift shanties near the Sabarmati Railway Overbidge. Vipul Pandya, a civil rights activist, says that this was done “because on October 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to visit Ahmedabad for the Gandhi Jayant.”
Pointing out that these make-shift shanties belong to adivasi workers, who migrate to Ahmedabad in search of jobs in construction sites from the eastern tribal belt, Pandya said, earlier, a warning was issued by Railway authorities, Ahmedabad, which had warned these workers to vacate the site by September 15.
The letter, forwarded to CounterView, said, the area “belongs to the Indian Railways and the shanties put up there are unauthorized, hence these should be vacated, otherwise these removed to clear the land.”
Meanwhile, commenting on the development, Gujarat's well-known child rights activist Sukhdev Patel says, "There has been a criticism over the way a girl was abused at the Rajpath Club swimming pool, in Ahmedabad, and rightly so."

"However", wonders Patel, "What about the future of the education of those children studying in municipal schools, whose shanties were razed to the ground? Will anyone think about them, too?"

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Tribal rights under siege: Roundtable Seeks strong legal defence of land, jobs and PESA

By A Representative Tribal rights activists, legal experts, tribal leaders, former officials and civil society representatives from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have called for urgent action on tribal land rights, employment and PESA safeguards. They were participating in roundtable on Constitutional Safeguards for Scheduled Tribes in the Telugu States at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad. Former Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao chaired the deliberations.

The indirect toll: How US debt and dollar dominance shape Bangladesh's economy

By Md. Abu Saim* The United States' federal debt has crossed $40 trillion. The number is almost impossible to comprehend. To put it in perspective, it equates to roughly $117,000 per American—and it would take nearly 110,000 years to repay at $1 million per day.

Kamal Mitra Chenoy, scholar and student activist who never stopped being both

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Kamal Mitra Chenoy, who taught comparative politics and the Indian Constitution at the School of International Studies (SIS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, died on October 11. He was 75. A political scientist and public intellectual, he was known for his work on international relations, peace and conflict resolution, human rights and democratic values, and for his solidarity with students.

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