Ahmedabad eviction drive targets tribal migrant workers, no prior notice alleged

By A Representative 

A registered trade union representing construction workers has urged the Gujarat government to immediately halt the demolition of huts belonging to tribal construction labourers from Dahod district living near Lamba Lake in south Ahmedabad, alleging that the action was carried out without any prior legal notice and in violation of basic human and constitutional rights.

In a detailed representation addressed to Urban Development Minister Kanubhai Desai, the Bandhkam Majdoor Sangathan, which has been working with unorganised construction workers for over three decades, stated that around 25 tribal families—comprising 116 persons including children—have been residing for nearly 35 years in makeshift huts along the embankment of Lamba Lake. The families originally belong to Limkheda taluka of Dahod district and survive on daily-wage construction work obtained from Narol Kadiya Naka.

According to the union, officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s South Zone encroachment department arrived at the settlement on February 2 with JCB machines and began demolishing the huts even though household belongings were still inside. The demolition, it alleged, was carried out without issuing any written or verbal prior notice to the residents. The union described the action as arbitrary, high-handed and a blatant violation of the human rights of tribal migrant workers.

The representation, signed by general secretary Vipul Pandya, highlights that many residents possess valid identity and welfare documents: 36 individuals hold voter identity cards, three families have ration cards issued in Ahmedabad district, including one Below Poverty Line card, and nearly 50 per cent of the workers possess e-Nirman cards issued by the Gujarat Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board. The children of these families are enrolled in nearby schools, with 21 studying at Laxmipura Primary School, four at Geeta High School, others at local gurukul institutions, and two youths pursuing college education.

The union argued that tribal construction workers are among the primary builders of urban infrastructure but are denied even the right to a basic shelter in the city. As daily-wage labourers hired from labour nakas, they are not allowed to stay at construction sites and are therefore forced to live in vacant or marginal lands without access to essential services such as water, electricity and sanitation.

While acknowledging that no individual has the right to encroach upon public land, the union asserted that it is the constitutional duty of the state to ensure advance rehabilitation and alternative housing for migrant and displaced workers so that they are not pushed into homelessness. It pointed out that the absence of any provision for such workers in urban town planning is a key reason for the emergence of informal settlements.

Citing Article 21 of the Constitution, the union stated that the right to life includes the right to livelihood and that eviction without rehabilitation directly affects workers’ means of survival and their children’s right to education.

The union has demanded that the state government direct the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to immediately suspend the demolition drive and issue due legal notice before any eviction. It has also sought allotment of permanent houses to the affected families under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), noting that their long-term residence and available proof make them eligible. The representation further called for financial assistance from the Tribal Development Department and utilisation of benefits available through the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board for eligible card-holding workers.

A list of the displaced tribal families has been submitted along with the representation. The union expressed hope that the government would intervene urgently in the interest of justice, dignity and welfare of the affected tribal construction workers.