0 оценок0% нашли этот документ полезным (0 голосов)
27 просмотров10 страниц
More than 45,000 people are resisting and protesting against the allotment of land. The land has been allotted to NIRMA to set up a cement factory and 3000 hectares (7500 acres) for limestone mining. The total investment is Rs. 2500 crore (Rs. 25 billion)
More than 45,000 people are resisting and protesting against the allotment of land. The land has been allotted to NIRMA to set up a cement factory and 3000 hectares (7500 acres) for limestone mining. The total investment is Rs. 2500 crore (Rs. 25 billion)
More than 45,000 people are resisting and protesting against the allotment of land. The land has been allotted to NIRMA to set up a cement factory and 3000 hectares (7500 acres) for limestone mining. The total investment is Rs. 2500 crore (Rs. 25 billion)
The Govt.of Gujarat sanctioned to Nirma Ltd. 288 hectares (720 acres) to construct cement factory and 3000 hectares (7500 acres) for limestone mining. It would only employ 418 people. The total investment is Rs. 2500 crore (Rs. 25 billion). In one article Meenakshi J oshi wrote some time back that," In vibrant Gujarat, the Chief minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi has claimed recently in Delhi that there are no villages in Gujarat.It is true that there is a high of urbanization in Gujarat but officially there are 18,124 villages in Gujarat, and now the villages are challeng the so called industrialization and development."
About the Mahuva movement she wrote, "In the district of Bhavnagar (Saurashtra), Mahuva is a taluka place. The location of the area can be related to the shooting of the movie Bhuvan Shome by Mrinal Sen. Here the state Govt. has allotted the land to Nirma Company to set up a cement plant. Because this area has a rich deposit of Lime Stone .But the villagers are raising their voice against the allotment of land. More than 45,000 people are resisting and protesting, which has taken away the sleep of the Govt. officials.
Map of the water bodies
Mahuva is situated in the western coast of Gujarat. Once the land was barren and was prone to salinity ingress. Only 10% of the land was used for cultivation. Measures were taken to check salinity ingress which yielded result and land became cultivable. Now almost 100% land are cultivated. One can guess from the use of pesticides in the land. There are about 72 shops selling pesticides and the annual turn over of these shops is about 17 to 18 cr. The onion production is quite high. More than 52 dehydration plants of Onion are operational here. 5,000 people are directly employed in onion farming. The export of onion earns foreign exchange in tune to cr. This is not all in agricultures. In addition to that 18 cotton ginning factories are running. The people of Mahuva taluka are apprehending that due to the cement plant and the allotment of land to NIRMA, they will lose the agricultural land, onion production and the production of Cotton and the ginning factory may face closure and lose direct employment. The cement factory will give employment to only 418 people and that too not necessarily to local people. The greenery and pictures of cultivation after checking the salinity in grease
the check dam which was constructed by the Govt to chech salinityF The cultivated land given to Nirma by the Govt.
The Sunset in Dugheri Even Fishing form Check Dam
The discontent of the people grew day by day. The villagers of Samddhiyala formed a committee, Mahuva Khetivadi Paryavaran Bachao Samiti. This Samiti has filed a petition in Gujarat High Court against the proposed cement plant. The State Govt. has formed two committees to decide the controversy. One committee is experts' committee and another one is of ministers' committee. Interestingly the lawyer of the Govt.(Advocate General ) is too the lawyer of NIRMA Ltd. The peasants were apprehensive of justice meted to them and so organized a huge demonstration before the office of the Advocate General and thousand courted arrest. The hearing in High Court is due. Now voice of struggle of the people of Mahuva is gaining support from Bhavnagar district and from other parts of the state. The fighting people are adopting newer tactics and forms of movement to involve the broadest section of the masses. Apart from sending delegation to various administrative bodies of the Govt., they are organizing public meetings, demonstrations, rallies etc. A twenty kms. Padyatra was taken up. They are also planning to call an all party public meeting in support of their cause. They have proposed the Govt. to take the people's Referendum as it took place in SEZ in Raigarh of Maharashtra. The movement is gaining support day by day and the Govt. was compelled to ask NIRMA Company to suspend the work.
The people of Mahuva have taken the course of movement to save their water bodies from being snatc away by Nirma to set up a Cement Factory. They have taken all democratic program of movement to m the government hear their plea. But the government and its administrations have taken a pro-Corporate st and helped in all manners to any how crush the movement. The recent incident surrounding the R organized on 25th February, 2010 is the most heinous among them. The Rally was organized on 25th February, 2010from Gandhi Ashram to Gandhinagar to submit a Memorandum containing blood-stained signatures of 11,111 people to the Chief Minister. On 13th December '09 the local legislator, Dr Kanubhai Kalsariya, 92 year old Gandhian Chunibhai Vaidya, Sagar Rabari, Anniruddhbhai J adeja, Lakhan Musafir and Anand Mazgaonkar were prevented from holding a public meeting in Vangar village. Two local leaders Shri Wamanbhai and Pravinbhai Kathiria were beaten up apparently by hired goons, and other villagers were manhandled by the police. The company has started pre-construction activities
The presence of police van a normal feature
Glimpse of the police atrocities
. Rally on 20th. February in Mahuva crushed As a part of this grand people's deputation to Gandhinagar a preparatory Rally (as a Part of rehearsal) was organized in Mahuva on 20th February. The police permission was sought earlier to which the administration did not respond. The people were prevented from coming to participate in the Rally. The determined people gathered and marched in a procession, on the face of threat and intimidation by police and the goondas of Nirma. As the silent procession, advanced few feet they were lathicharged and detained. The police falsely alleges that the participants pelted stone on them. Interestingly while detaining and carrying them in the police van, the Police Sub Inspectors finger got injured, because it came between the doors of the police van. But the police sub Inspector alleged that activists bit his finger and he went on leave for 6days. Kadavi hehn
About 50 people were detained in Mahuva Police Station. In the lathicharge Shri Samatbhai Devshibhai J oliya was seriously injured on head and was unconscious, but he was thrown by the police in lock-up along with the criminals. For 3 long hours he was not given any treatment under the pretext of permission from higher authorities. When the activists themselves called 108, one of their ambulances was not working and other was on the field. Finally when the government ambulance arrived it did not have stretcher. The patient had to be carried in peasant's turban. One woman, Shri Kadviben, the Valliant lady who is in the movement from very beginning, was held by two male police and beaten by the third male police. The P.S.I. whose finger was injured was admitted to hospital. And for that offence 9 activists were arrested under various sections. Their finger prints were taken and their photographs were taken with slate containing their offences in their hand, the same treatment which is given to a criminal. More over, they were not granted bail and were nor allowed to make any phone calls as long as the P.S.I. remains admitted to the hospital. And he remained admitted in the hospital for this minor finger injury, for a week. The arrested activists were released on 26th February, i.e. the day after the day of rally. In the protest of the lathicharge, Mahuva Bandh Call was given. But that was not all. The next day on 21st, Shri Kanubhai Kalsariya who was returning in his car with his wife and other companions from Doliya village after a preparatory meeting for 25th Rally, about 40-50 private men of Nirma wearing helmet, attacked his car. The glasses of the car were broken; Kanubhai and his wife Anusuyaben were badly injured. The villagers came to rescue and the goondas left. The injured were taken to hospital. Sabarmati Ashram road taken ovwer ny Armed police to prevent March to Gandhinagar
As Mahuva Rally was a dress-rehearsal for the protesting people to attend the rally from Gandhi Ashram to Gandhinagar, so also the atrocities of police in Mahuva was Dress- Rehearsal of what was to come in Ahmedabad. All the vehicles leaving Mahuva and nearby villages on 24th were strictly checked, each passengers interrogated, their luggage checked. If found suspicious were detained, the buses were stopped and emptied. But the determined people started reaching Ahmedabad, daring all the barricades. Kadviben was in a bus which was stopped on 24th and all its passengers were made to climb down. She escaped and walk all along to Talgajarda village, from there to J esar and moving from here and there, she managed to reach Ahmedabad to Gandhi Ashram . . The people who could reach Gandhi Ashram found the entire area highly fortified with a huge number of armed police, the police checked passers-by found and detained them who appeared to participate in the Rally. Myself (Bhavik Raja), Meenakshiben J oshi and other THE AREEST GALORE
Women activist Meenakshi Joshi whisked away by police
volunteers were whisked away forcefully in the first instant. On the scheduled time of rally Shri Chunibhai Vaidya, Shri Prakashbhai N. Shah, Shri Ilaben Pathak and Shri Sanatbhai Mehta, Shri Kanubhai were arrested with a large contingent of protesters from Mahuva, which was unprecedented, Van after Van of Police detained them to Police Stadium.
Chunibhai Vaidya and others spirited march and MLA Kanubhai Kalasaria cheered by protesters
Students leader Bhavik Raja whisked by police forcefully
Chunibhai Vaidya along with Ilaben Pathak , Chunibahi Vaidya and Prakashbhai taken by the police Anand Mazgaonkar and others arrested .
The detention too could not deter the spirit of the people. They started singing Revolutionary songs, "Danko Vagyo Ladvaya Shoora J agjo ..Bhavik raja & Sachin Shah presenting the songs. Seated are Chunibhai Vaidya, Prakashbhai Shah, Kanubhai Kalsariya, Sanat Mehta, Ilaben Pathak and many others Re" dancing and jumping hilariously, shouting slogans," Land belongs to the people and not the Government" etc. the leaders deliberated. And the entire stadium turned into the dais of public program. To undermine the number of detainees, police provided only 175 cups of tea. Even many did not get food in the afternoon though they were kept till late evening. When the detainees were relieved, a Call of Mahuva Day on 6th March was given before dispersing.
The next day, Shri Kanubhai pleaded the Speaker of Assembly, Mr. Ashok Bhatt, to allow him to represent his Memorandum to which the Speaker refused saying that prior permission was not taken. When Kanubhai threatened to go on fast unto death, he was allowed to meet The Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi along with his wife, where he submitted the memorandum signed with blood by the 11,111villgaers. On the other hand, Shri Chunibhai and 25 villagers who were also coming to meet the Industry Minister Shri Saurabh Patel were detained at D.S.P. office. On Kanubhai's insistence, they were relieved and allowed to appear before the Industry Minister.
6th MARCH- MAHUVA DAY OBSERVED BY LOK ANDOLAN GUJARAT IN THE STATE 6th March was observed by Lok Andolan Gujarat as Mahuva Day in the entire state in solidarity with the peasants of Mahuva.
Responding to the call, a huge Demonstration was staged at Town Hall in Ahmedabad in which large number of citizens participated. Among them were Shri Chunibhai Vaidya, Shri Prakashbhai N. Shah, Shri Rohitbhai Shukla, Shri Ilaben Pathak, Dr. Sudarshan Iyenger, Dr. Ghanshyam Shah, Shri Gautam Thaker, Shri Dwarikanath Rath, Shri Dilip Chandulal, Shri Manishi J ani, Shri Prahladray Avasthi, Shri R.D. Dave, Shri Ramaben Vora, Shri Suvarnaben, Nayanaben Shah, Meenakshi J oshi, Shri J ayesh Patel, Shri Bhavik Raja, Father Cedric Prakash, Prof. Sanjay Bhave, Shri Kanubhai Khadadiya Shri Buddhidhan Trivedi , young friends of Samvedan Sanskritik Manch and many others. In support with fighting peasants of Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar District against proposed Nirma plant, citizens of Baroda under the banner of Lok- Andolan- Gujarat submitted memorandum to Governor through Vadodara District collector today. The delegation ofShri. Dhiru Mistry, Dankesh Oza, Prafful Desai, Tapan Dasgupta, Chandrakantbhai, Bharatiben Parmar, Renu Rajput, Poonambhai Vagehla and Mukesh Semwal. The delegation met RDC Mr. Saraviya and appraised about situation. Shri Dankesh Oza said that in support of democratic and peaceful movement of these peasants, today everywhere in Gujarat is observed as Mahuva solidarity Day. Before submitting memorandum , with placards and posters all shouted slogans in support of Mahuva movement.
In Surat delegation of citizens like Prof. Babubhai Desai, Former Vice-Principal, KP college, Dr. Kishorebhai Desai, Retired Principal of Bhavans College ( Ahmedabad ), Advocate Shri Natubhai Patel, Shri Satyendra Singh, Shri. Bhikhabhai Prajapati, Shri Ram Bharat Maurya, Shri Prayagraj Maurya and others submitted memo to Deputy Collector Mr. Vohra. In Ahwa- Dang also a delegation led by Shri Laxman Bagul. Advocate Shri Bharat Bhoi, Shri Raghu Bagul submitted memorandum to Dang collector Mr. Girish Shah In Bhavnagar and Mahuva, Black Day was observed in the presence of Shri Sanatbhai Mehta. In Rajkot, the Black Day was observed by Saurashtra Lok Samiti in which a Demonstration was staged at Dhebar Chowk and a Memorandum was submitted to the District Collector. The deputation was led by Shri Anniruddhbhai J adeja COMPLILED by Bhavik Raja from Nirikshak, Newspapers, News letters etc. Mob. No-09428411065