Skip to main content

Promise of basic infrastructure facilities after protest by Naroda Patiya IDPs

Protest against administrative apathy towards IDP colony in Vatwa
By Hofeza Ujjaini and K Mohan Krishna*
The communal carnage in Gujarat, which took place in 2002, not only saw the death of nearly 2,000 persons, mainly Muslims, but it also forced thousands of people to flee from their residence, whether it was an urban township or a village. They fled in search of security and safety. The Gujarat government did set up 102 relief camps to cater to the immediate need of the security and shelter of those who were forced to flee. By the first week of April 2002, an estimated 1,13,697 people from the minority community were living in these camps.
All these persons fitted well into the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which say that IDPs are “persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, 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.”
The relief camps remained operational for six months after which they were officially closed down by a directive of the Gujarat government. All aid to the camps was blocked on June 30, 2002. Many of the IDPs were forced to return back with a mere Rs 1,250 as cash dole for all they had lost. Others were condemned to a life of permanent compromise and second‐class citizenship. Eeven today, an estimated 5,000 families continue to remain internally displaced. Currently, there are over 83 relief colonies across Gujarat, which is a chilling reminder that IDP problem has come to stay in Gujarat.
A case in point where IDPs live is Faizal Park in Vatwa area of Ahmedabad, which was constructed after the Gujarat carnage of 2002. It has over 100 internally displaced families residing since the riots. Among those who live here are the survivors of perhaps the worst carnage during the riots, of Naroda Patiya, which took place on February 28, 2002 in Naroda in Ahmedabad, in which 97 Muslims were killed by a mob of approximately 5,000 people, instigated by Sangh Parivar outfits. They have been living there in a subhuman condition which has been forced upon them, despite the fact that they are provided with bare minimum facilities by the officialdom even a decade after the riots.
Sadbhavna has touched the colony, despite a widely propagated three-day Sadbhavna fast by the Gujarat chief minister. Finding themselves neglected continuously, the residents initiated correspondence and persuasion with the officials of the Gujarat government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for water and sanitation facilities, which they should have been provided normally, without any precondition. They had been pressing for these facilities for quite some time, yet the only success they could achieve was an internal pipeline, in which, incidentally, water never flowed. The alternative before the residents was to plead for water from the AMC through tankers daily.
However, the quantity of water provided was insufficient and erratic. Children sometimes missed schools, as they waited for tankers to fill their water pots and have their ablutions. The community members made several applications for pipeline water connection to the authorities, but it fell on deaf ears. Records show that applications were handed over both to the district collector, Ahmedabad, and the commissioner, South Zone, AMC, on May 9, 2012, on August 4, 2012, on January 16, 2013, and on February 5, 2013. Yet, nothing seemed to change What they received were vague promises.
In the above context of administrative apathy and continued neglect that the community members were forced to go in for a protest action against the authorities. They staged a one-day fast on June 18, 2013, at the AMC headquarters, Sardar Bhavan, Jamalpur, Danapith, Ahmedabad form 9.30 am to 5.00 pm. People from different communities and areas joined in to express solidarity. The demands of the people were for the provision of the following basic facilities:
(1) Adequate drinking water supply,
(2) Proper sewerage facilities, and
(3) Street light facilities.
A leader of the community, Majidbhai, who lost seven members during the riots, along with others submitted a memorandum, asking the authorities to fulfill their demands. The result was, Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Guruprasad Mahapatra held a meeting with a delegation from the community and the city engineer. He asked the latter to solve the problem. The commissioner promised representatives of the community who met him that the colony would be provided with regular water supply. Other needs would also be taken care of, he added, and the deadline for all this, he declared, was by August 31, 2013. On a temporary basis, the AMC officials were asked to increase the supply of drinking water by tankers to the Faizal Park, and clean up the drainage pit of the colony.
During the talks with the delegation, the commission admitted that there was a need to look into provision of the needs of other colonies whose demand were almost similar, including Arsh Colony, Vatwa, Citizen Nagar, Danilimda, Ekta nagar, Vatwa, and Siddiqabad, Juhapura. The delegation took this opportunity to remind the municipal commission that the issue of house ownership still remained pending, which they felt would need a much longer struggle on the part of the affected families.

*Janvikas activists

Comments

TRENDING

Eight years of empowering tribal communities through water initiatives in Chhattisgarh

By Gazala Paul*   In the heart of Chhattisgarh, amidst the echoes of tribal life, a transformative journey has unfolded over the past eight years. The Samerth organization has diligently worked to elevate the lives of indigenous communities in the Kawardha district through the project, "Enabling Baiga Community to access safe drinking water." 

Martin Crowe played instrumental role in making New Zealand a force in world cricket

By Harsh Thakor* Late Martin Crowe was the perfect manifestation of how mere figures could not convey or do justice to the true merit of a batsman. Crowe was arguably the most complete  or majestic batsmen of his era or the ultimate embodiment of batting perfection, or the classical batsmen. He perished 7 years ago, due to a rare and aggressive form of cancer, follicular lymphoma, which originated in 2012. In September, we celebrated his 60th birthday but sadly he left for his heavenly abode.

Regretful: Kapil Dev retired not leaving Indian cricket with integrity he upheld

By Harsh Thakor  Kapil Dev scaled heights as an entertainer and a player upholding the spirit of the game almost unparalleled in his era. In his time he was cricket’s ultimate mascot of sportsmanship On his day Kapil could dazzle in all departments to turn the tempo of game in the manner of a Tsunami breaking in. He radiated r energy, at a level rarely scaled in his era on a cricket field. Few ever blended aggression with artistry so comprehenisively. Although fast medium, he could be as daunting with the ball as the very best, with his crafty outswinger, offcutter, slower ball and ball that kicked from a good length. Inspite of bowling on docile tracks on the subcontinent, Kapil had 434 scalps, with virtually no assistance. I can never forget how he obtained pace and movement on flat pancakes, trapping the great Vivian Richards in Front or getting Geoff Boycott or Zaheer Abbas caught behind. No paceman carried the workload of his team’s bowling attack on his shoulders in his eras muc

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on.

Towards 2024: Time for ‘We the People of India’ to wake up before it is too late

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  It is Constitution Day once again! We, the people of India, gratefully remember 26 November 1949 when the Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly comprised women and men of distinction, who were able to represent the heart and soul of the people of India without fear or favour. They gave of their best, so that we may a visionary Constitution, which would be the mainstay for and of democracy in India!

Ceasefire a tactical victory for Palestinian resistance, protests intensify across globe

By Harsh Thakor*  The Zionist leadership and Netanyahu’s government were compelled to concede the defeat of their first attempt after almost 50 days of daily fighting in the Gaza Strip.  Netanyahu was forced to concede that he was unsuccessful in suppressing the Palestinian Resistance; and that the release of the prisoners was only plausible because they accepted Hamas’ terms.

Odisha leadership crisis deepens: CM engages retired babus to oversee depts' work

By Sudhansu R Das  Over decades, Odisha has lost much of its crop diversity, fertile agriculture land, water bodies, employment potential, handicraft and handloom skills etc. The state has failed to strike a balance between the urban and rural sector growth; this leads to the migration of villagers to the urban areas leading to collapse of the urban infrastructures and an acute labor shortage in rural areas.  A large number of educated, skilled and unskilled Odia people have migrated to other states for higher education, quality jobs and for earning livelihood which plummet the efficiency level of government departments. Utmost transparency in the recruitment and promotion in the state government departments will improve governance mechanisms in the state.  "No near and dear one approach" in governance mechanisms can only achieve inclusive growth for the state on payment basis. This is a moral hazard. When so many educated young people seek employment outside the

1982-83 Bombay textile strike played major role in shaping working class movement

By Harsh Thakor  On January 18th, 1982 the working class movement commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Textile Workers Strike that lasted for 18 months, till July 1983. It was landmark event that played a major role in shaping the working class movement. With more than 2.5 lakh workers from 65 textile mills joining in this strike for almost two years, this strike became one of the most significant strikes in terms of scale and duration All democrats should applaud the mill workers’ united battle, and their unflinching resilience an death defying courage continues to serve as a model for contemporary working-class movements. Many middle class persons harboured opinions that the Textile workers were pampered or were a labour aristocracy, ignorant of how they were denied wages to provide for basic necessities. The Great Bombay Textile Strike is notably one of the most defining movements in the working class struggles in Post-independent India. Bombay’s textile industry flourished in

Massive tropical deforestation: Big finance's $307 billion go to forest-risk commodities

A note on report by Forests & Finance coalition -- Rainforest Action Network, TuK Indonesia, Profundo, Amazon Watch, Repórter Brasil, BankTrack, Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Friends of the Earth US: *** A new report released on ‘Finance Day’ at COP28 by the Forests & Finance Coalition , provides a comprehensive look into the role big finance plays in driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change and human rights abuses in tropical forest regions. The report reveals that since the Paris Agreement, banks have pumped over $307 billion into high risk forestry and agriculture companies linked to tropical deforestation, proving that the policies of major global banks and investors are failing to prevent continued widespread forest and biodiversity loss.

20% of Indian businesses have no emission plan in place despite climate emergency: Report

By Jag Jivan   New research underlines urgent need for strategies and transition plans to combat climate change, remain successful and meet stakeholder expectations.