Adivasi peasants in Valsad district of Gujarat held a massive protest on 16 June against forcible land grab by the land mafia as well as Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation. Adivasis in the district are living on their lands since generations but the governments had never bothered to provide them with the proper land titles and records. Now this fact is being utilised by the mafia to oust them from their ancestral lands which is now being considered valuable in view of development of industrial and adjoining coastal belt.
The lands of nearly half a dozen tribals were forcibly captured on May 27 last by mafia goons patronised by local MLA and and ex-MLA belonging to Congress and BJP respectively. The grabbers beat them up brutally in order to spread terror and lodged false criminal cases. The CPI(ML) leaders’ effective intervention stopped the police to take action against innocent tribals, though actual criminals still remain free. Such incidents are common in this district.
The tribals in this region had been involved in traditional farming since generations and lack of land titles is now being exploited for grabbing their lands by the nexus of mafia-local leaders and GIDC officials. They are being displaced by the land grabbers now, earlier they faced similar fate in 80s when Madhuban dam in Kaprada block was built. They are still struggling for their demand of rehabilitation of thousands of displaced people.
While adivasis constitute a sizable majority in many parts of the district, the administration always try to ignore their genuine demands and concerns to the extent that they are usually denied permission to hold peaceful gatherings and protests.
A port is being constructed at Nargol of Umargam taluk which also involves construction of a six-lane link road and huge ware house spaces. The state government acquisitioned lands through GIDC for the purpose, while a strong mafia also got active in snatching away lands in nexus with local politicians and officials. A very large number of trees and forest are also being flattened for the port construction.
The CPI(ML) is resisting this land grab for last couple of years. It is also raising the sensitive issue of land and water poisoning in Vapi and Umargam taluks by the nearby chemical industries’ hub. The state pollution control board has been made aware a number of times but it keeps on allowing the polluting industries to go on. As a result the land productivity is decreasing very fast and there is no potable healthy water left for drinking.
Many adivasis are left with the only option of working in nearby industries where labour law violations is the norm. They have also been deprived of MNREGA benefits as the job cards have never been given to them. PDS and other welfare schemes are mired in corruption like anywhere else. These issues were also raised with the District Magistrate by the CPI(ML) delegation which was led by party’s Politburo member Prabhat Kumar, Gujarat Incharge Ranjan Ganguly, District Secretary Laxmanbhai Vadia, Amit Patanwaria, Kamlesh and Jayantiben.
