Families protest govt move to assimilate rehabilitation colonies into panchayats

The residents have also been protesting for months over lack of basic facilities, such as a drainage system and water supply, and seeking employment for the displaced.

Balu Tadvi, a resident of Shira, said, “As per a government notification, government employment has to be provided to one member of the displaced family based on the common age cut-off date of the three states (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra). This has not been done, as the government has only considered those born till 1968…. Land acquisitions have been carried out until 2003, which should be considered too.”

The residents also contended that the Sardar Sarovar Punarvasvat Agency – constituted in 1992 to look into the resettlement and rehabilitation of the project-affected families in Gujarat – should continue to administer the colonies as the process of “rehabilitation is ongoing”.

Tadvi said, “We live in rehabilitation colonies without proper approach roads and water supply… we receive interrupted power supply… The construction of the homes is sub-standard and the structures are already in a dilapidated state.”

“Who will reconstruct our homes? The settlement is about 25 years old but we have hardly seen any progress in civic amenities… If the rehabilitation colonies are assimilated into gram panchayats, there will be no one to pay heed to our problems,” he added.