Being near to the sea........

Coastal villages like Nani Danti - Moti Danti in South Gujarat have paid high price of being near to the sea. Some around 20 years back, Narankaka, Daulatkaka had to leave their village as sea had come very close to their houses.

New village was called Moti Danti..Now they have to leave their homes again. Bcoz in last 20 years, sea has come so close to their homes that during high tide waves hit the back wall of their house, temple, and school.

As we reached in the village, Daulatkaka, Daulatkaka is village leader, his age is now around 75. With his shievering hands he took out number of letters written to local leaders, governors, CM, Ministers.

", let me show you the efforts done by all of us to protect our shore from erosion". I have responsibility of this village. I have been raising my voice for last 30 years.......but i think our voice does not reach Gandhinagar, as we are far away...........But i will continue raising voice... fight to save my village, temple, school......

As i was leaving Danti village ...I was thinking.. Daulatkaka feels that saving his village is his responsibility.. But when. our elected representatives..... and civil society will join hands with Daulatkaka? 

'Padli' village is very near to pilgrimage Dwarka. it comes in Okhamandal block of Jamnagar district in Gujarat. 

Some years back, one multi-national company started its salt work by acquiring land near padli village. some villagers were getting employment on temporary basis... but then after some years company closed the salt work and started using this site for dumping slurry waste from their soda ash chemical plant.

Picture shown here is of one of the slurry pond. The slurry coming out of the pipeline is very hot. There are 5 slurry ponds , each one is 50 feet deep and one sq. km in width. 

 "These slurry dumping site is just near to our village as you can see. till date many cattle have fallen inside' 

"This was our grazing land... once upon a time...,,Now all what we have is hot winds blowing from over the slurry carrying lot of dust " 

Surprisingly on paper... this area is still shown as their salt production area. 

We were standing in the middle of  huge dump yard of soda ash chemical waste.. Company security persons were keeping watch on us.......but as we had local person accompanying.. they did not dare to intervene.....
Till dte many complaints have been filed with pollution control board.. they come.. listen to us... then they go to company office.. the to company guest house...come out with bag full of money...go back to gandhinagar and then nothing happens....."  villagers said.........

pankti                                                                                  

let us decide what type of developmental project we want in our area. ...

People of mithi virdi against nuclear power plant 

Mithi Virdi... proposed Site for Nuclear power plant. 

rich in agriculture because land is fertile and also has irrigation facility. People take 3 crops per year. Average earning from agriculture and animal husbandry is 1.8 lakhs/per year/per acre (2.5 bigha)

NPCL have engaged land acquisition officers to convince people for land acquisition. But farmers have given slogan"jaan denge par jamin nahi"

people narrated during our field visited " We understand what are harmful effect of nuclear power plant,.. we have visited Tarapur and have read about fukoshima."

"collector came to convince us... he told that company will make development" but what is development?? we live on agriculture... we have grazing land.. cattles... we grow vegetables.. bajra, wheat... sugarcane..... cotton... coconut.. even cashewnut...... our children are going to good school.. we are providing employment to land less labourers.. "

"In addition to this, thousands of birds, small and big animals,,,, plants... small organisms live on and underneath our land.... they all are also getting their food...shelter....life..from our agriculture... "

"There is scope for agriculture based industry in our area like onion powder making, pulp making ,jute. making, mango pulp... pickle etc etc... let "us" decide what is development....." 

"if government want to put nuclear power plant.. let it put in barren,..... desert areas.. and not in agriculturally rich fertile areas........".

pankti 

They might have to pay heavy price for one interview...!!

Myself and one of the journalist visited some parts of Saurastra coast of Gujarat. We wanted to  capture the discontent among communities residing along the coast despite of the fact that there is heavy investments in past few years.

We visited 'Mithi Virdi' in Bhavnagar district, the proposed Nuclear power plant station. the lignite mining sites and nearby villages and then we moved for Kodinar block of Junagadh district where there are big cement industries.
This area is rich in limestone, which is used for making cement. However, this area is equally rich in agriculture. Around 20 year back when company came into that area... this area was called as 'kashmir of Gujarat" agriculture, was main source of livelihood. Pastrolists, lime makers, leather making community, bunkar community every one were masters in their own traditional occupation.
Government acquired land forcefully... three persons were killed during acquisition.. person who was telling us this story lost his father in this struggle.. They had 18 acres of land which was acquired for 1.5 lakhs by government. Today he is temporary worker in that company... living with his mother, sister, wife and little kid.. in a small house..
"we get work for 24 days. that too we have to give 4 days salary to contractor to make sure that we get work for next 24 days... next month.. or else they will stop giving us work and get workers from outside" (he mean to say from bihar, up)
as he was telling his story.. we saw another person peeping from the compound wall..  and his wife noticed.. .. she said.. 'Bahen...that person is company's informer ... now he will inform about us and we will loose our work... or they will put my husband into jail for no reason....."
our local friend made sign that we need to move immediately... we left the village.. and started thinking hw 2 save that person's job ....
I told our field fellow... do something.. we need to save him from being harrassed or else no one will dare to talk to media and expose these companies in future"
we then were followed by company's local informers...we changed our plans and went to a village which is behind the company's new plant.. where we could get some photograps videos.. farmers showed their wells filled with yellow colour chemical ... percolated from company's storage dump ground..." i had mango orchard here till some years back.. now i can grown only cotton... i have put case in the high court.. but..." i could read what he meant to say..."
As we were passing I use to see many people who wanted to talk to me..share their problems .. but as i understood they were scared of company gundas....
my phone rang... and i thought must be from local police or any company person to inquire about reason of our travel... but it was wife of the workers whom we interviewed... she is pregnant... she was scared... 'dont let my husbands name publish any where ...no photos too.. change the name" i am pregnant if at this time my husband looses his work.. we will die of hunger...." 
i assured her.. we will not publish his name.. journalist with me was bit upset.. as he has to have good case studies.. if he is writing against company..which is "so called -green company" 
I asked my local friend... "lets approach company and talk directly... you prepare write up" 
it was 7 pm.. and we had to travel 400 km.. to reach to our next destination Dwarka.... the road was difficult as it passed through all mining company area....and we were sure that we will be chased....
my journalist friend and driver both were muslim.. another reason to worry.. becoz.. police may create some problem. from somewhere... in the name of checking the vehicle etc etc....
I noticed some motor bykes and one car was following us... i didn't tell anything to journalist and driver.. but i was tensed ....A week before on journalist had gone in this area.. he was badly bitten... his camera was taken away...
I called another local sarpanch of that area and asked him to come to highway........ He knew i was coming to make stories on mining and all and understood what may be the reason... it was 10 pm .. but he came... and directed our car to his village...... . 
Navratri celebrations...were going on.. we had Bajri ki roti.. math and baigan ki sabji... at his house...... and then left after 1 hour .. took some different route.
till we reached every half an hour some one or other from local kept on calling us.... 
finally we reached Dwarka at 3;45 am.... and stayed in a guest house..
Next day was into area of chemical and soda ash company... another well known multinational company... considered to be having "social face" 
As i lied down... at 4:00 am in the guest house room... & closed my eyes....that pregant women,... farmers from in lignite mining area.... family members of worker who died in lignite mining area.....every one... were in front of me...asking me ... 'will you be able to do something for us? 
and i was asking myself" will i be able to save them from company's Gunda -Raj"? 
            pankti