mahuva

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MAHUVA MOVEMENT TURNED INTO WAR FRONT BY

THE GOVT. OF GUJARATThe 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 Joshi wrote some time back that," In vibrant Gujarat, the Chief minister of G

Narendra Modi has claimed recently in Delhi that there are no villages in Gujarat.It is true that there is

of urbanization in Gujarat but officially there are 18,124 villages in Gujarat, and now the villages are the so called industrialization and development."

About the Mahuva movement she wrote,"In the district of Bhavnagar (Saurashtra), Mahuva is a taluk

The location of the area can be related to the shooting of the movie Bhuvan Shome by Mrinal Sen. Hstate Govt. has allotted the land to Nirma Company to set up a cement plant. Because this area has a rich

of Lime Stone .But the villagers are raising their voice against the allotment of land. More than 45,000

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 tosalinity

ingress.

Only 10% of theland was

used for

cultivation.Measures

were taken tocheck

salinityingress

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 pesticidesand the annual turn over of these shops is about 17 to 18 cr.

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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 foreignexchange 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 theproduction 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.

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The Sunset in Dugheri Even Fishing form Check Dam

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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 inGujarat 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. Thehearing 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 takenup. They are also planning to call an all party public meeting in support of their cause. Theyhave 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 bein

away by Nirma to set up a Cement Factory. They have taken all democratic program of moveme

the government hear their plea. But the government and its administrations have taken a pro-Corpand helped in all manners to any how crush the movement. The recent incident surrounding

organized on 25th February, 2010 is the most heinous among them.

The Rally was organized on 25th February, 2010from Gandhi Ashram to Gandhinagar tosubmit a Memorandum containing blood-stained signatures of 11,111 people to the ChiefMinister.

On 13th December'09 the local legislator, Dr Kanubhai Kalsariya, 92 year old Gandhian

Chunibhai Vaidya, Sagar Rabari, Anniruddhbhai Jadeja, Lakhan Musafir and Anand

Mazgaonkar were prevented from holding a public meeting in Vangar village. Two localleaders Shri Wamanbhai and Pravinbhai Kathiria were beaten up apparently by hired goons,

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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 soughtearlier 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 silentprocession, 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 thedoors 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 SamatbhaiDevshibhai Joliya was seriously injured on head

and was unconscious, but he was thrown by the

police in lock-up along with the criminals. For 3long hours he was not given any treatment under

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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 thegovernment 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 phonecalls 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 BandhCall 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. Theglasses 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 Jesar and moving

from here and there, she managed to reach Ahmedabad to Gandhi Ashram .

.

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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 whoappeared to participate in the Rally. Myself (Bhavik Raja), Meenakshiben Joshi and other

THE AREEST GALORE

Women activist Meenakshi Joshi whisked away by police

volunteers were whisked away forcefully in the firstinstant. On the scheduled time of rally Shri Chunibhai

Vaidya, Shri Prakashbhai N. Shah, Shri Ilaben Pathakand Shri Sanatbhai Mehta, Shri Kanubhai were

arrested with a large contingent of protesters from

Mahuva, which was unprecedented, Van after Van ofPolice 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

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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 Jagjo ..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

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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. Toundermine 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 tomeet 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 insolidarity with the

peasants of Mahuva.

Responding to the call,a huge Demonstration

was staged at TownHall in Ahmedabad inwhich 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 Jani, Shri Prahladray Avasthi, Shri R.D.

Dave, Shri Ramaben Vora, Shri Suvarnaben, Nayanaben Shah, Meenakshi Joshi, Shri Jayesh

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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. Insupport 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, RenuRajput, 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, ShriRaghu Bagul submitted memorandum to Dang collector Mr. Girish Shah

In Bhavnagar and Mahuva, Black Day was observed in the presence of Shri Sanatbhai Mehta. InRajkot, 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 Jadeja

COMPLILED by Bhavik Raja from Nirikshak, Newspapers, News letters etc.Mob. No-09428411065