On 28 December 2015 a huge rally and meeting demanding allotment of land to displaced adivasis was organized under the leadership of CPI (ML) in Kaprada taluka of Valsad district in Gujarat State bordering Maharashtra. In 1980 work on construction of a dam (namely, Madhuban dam) was started in Kaprada-Dharmapur and Dadra-Haveli taluka of Valsad district under the Daman Ganga Reservoir scheme. Hundreds of adivasis were displaced for the construction of the dam without any alternative arrangements being made for them. 17 villages were submerged in the total submersion area, and apart from this, people from 10 other villages were thrown out of their villages. Till today they have not received any compensation. During these past 35 or more years of displacement hundreds of families from these villages have been struggling for employment and livelihood.
After the construction of the dam this reservoir has been the chief source of water supply to Valsad city, Vapi industrial area, Daman industrial area, Silvasa, GIDC, and Union Territory Dadra-Haveli. But the poor adivasis who were displaced for the construction are the ones who are bearing the brunt of the suffering even today. On the one hand the entire area gets its drinking water and irrigation facilities due to this reservoir; on the other hand, the area where the displaced adivasis are taking shelter is devoid of any civic amenities. Even the small amenities they have been given are limited only to amenities on paper. In many villages job cards have been made under MNREGA but the cards have not been issued to the workers. In village Astal, the administration claims to have made 400 job cards but investigation showed that no one has got any job card. Environmental problems have taken a serious turn in the vicinity of industrial areas; Vapi is counted among the most polluted cities of the country.
The BJP government in Gujarat has adopted a totally insensitive attitude towards all these issues. The poor people of Gujarat are the greatest sufferers from the so-called ‘development model’ of Gujarat and the adivasis have borne the severest brunt. The CPI (ML) is ceaselessly fighting against this attitude of the BJP. Focusing on these issues, the party organized a huge rally and meeting on 28 December to highlight the problems of the poor and adivasis. The protest meeting was led by party politbureau member Com. Prabhat Kumar, and addressed by Gujarat in-charge Com. Ranjan Ganguly and comrades Laxman Bhai Patanwadia, Amit Patanwadia, Kaprada taluka leader Kamlesh Gurab, Dhakal Bhai, Ganga Bhai, Sushila Ben, Jayanti Ben, and others.
In the memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister through the Collector, the party has demanded that the long overdue rehabilitation of the displaced should be completed soon, adequate compensation should also be given, arrangements should be made in every home for basic civic amenities such as toilets, drinking water, pucca access roads, lighting, etc. They have also demanded the job cards under MNREGA should be handed over to the workers, corruption and scams in MNREGA should be ended, and officers responsible for this should be punished. All workers should be given regular work as per MNREGA rules, and adivasis should be given land as per the Adivasi Forest Rights Act.
