Fisherfolks in Bhadbhut village of Gujarat's Bharuch district protested against the allotment of land earmarked for Narmada barrage project-affected fishermen to two salt-making companies from Gandhidham.
During a protest on 4 April 2024, the fishermen vehemently opposed the move and urged the government to halt the operations of the Bhadbhut barrage until a decision is made regarding the allocation of land to them.
The 5.5. acres of Aliabet land was in 2018 proposed by the Kalpsar Department, overseeing the Bhadbhut barrage project along Narmada river, for allocating it to traditional fishermen families who had lost their means of livelihood due to the barrage project. The fisherfolks have been waiting for six years for the government to allocate them land at Aliabet but have seen no progress.
Leaders of Samast Bharuch District Fishermen Society on 28 March 2024 had threatened to stop the ongoing barrage work on the fishing and breeding ground of the fishermen in the Narmada river bed. Fishermen say that due to the operation of Bhadbhut Barrage, Hilsa fish population has decreased, which has directly affected their business to the tune of up to Rs 500 crore.
On 18 March 2024, fishermen met with MLA Aniruddh Singh Rana and submitted a formal complaint against the government's proposal to allocate land to the salt industry. The MLA shared a photo of the meeting on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account.
Sunil Machi, the Sarpanch of Bhadbhut, told the Divya Bhaskar, "The government has betrayed us. We put our faith in them and suspended our agitation, only to find out they've allocated land to other industries without consulting us. If the government persists with the Bhadbhut barrage project, we will resume our protests against the barrage project."
In 2017, these fishermen protested against the construction of a barrage on the Narmada river near Bhadbhut village in Bharuch district as part of the ambitious Kalpasar project. Even its inaugural ceremony on October 8, 2017, attended by the Prime Minister, was marred by protests from the local fisherfolk who lost their livelihoods. To assuage the fisherfolk, the Kalpsar Department in 2018 proposed the allocation of land in Aliabet to project-affected fishermen.
This is not the first time that the Gujarat government tried to allot land to salt-making companies in Aliabet. In 2019, the government allotted 32 square kilometers of Narmada river land to to salt-making companies, leading to protests by fisherfolks. Approximately 250 fishermen were detained at Hansot and Ankleshwar police stations during the protest. Back then, the fishermen had submitted a complaint letter to the district collector and demanded to take necessary action and stop the work.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for compensation
Demand for promised land
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
250
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
Don't Know
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Residential area, Fishing
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Violation of environmental laws
Delay in allottment and possession of land/property
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
On 8 March 2019, fisherfolks protested against the government's move to allot land in Aliabet in Baruch district to the farmers of Mithuudyaog of Kutch. During the protest, 250 fishermen were detained.
Date of Violation
March 7, 2019
Location of Violation
Aliabet
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
250
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
Don't Know
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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