An action research report, “Invited Disaster: Khadi Floods in Surat City”, published by two civil rights groups, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Surat, states that nearly half of Gujarat’s top urban conglomerate—known for its concentration of textile and diamond polishing industries—is affected by the dumping of debris and solid waste, along with the release of treated and untreated sewage into the khadis (rivulets), thereby increasing the risk of flood disaster.

Conducted by two post-graduate students from Azim Premji University, Avadhut Atre and Buddhavikas Athawale, with assistance from environmental lawyer Krishnakant Chauhan, architect Sugeet Pathakji, environmentalist Rohit Prajapati, and urban planner Neha Sarwate, the study is based on field observations of the khadis passing through the South Gujarat town.

Using available secondary data, the study corroborates and confirms observed changes in these rivulets—intended as natural stormwater drainage channels for the urban area—through historical satellite images from Google Earth and interviews with stakeholders.

According to the study, authorized and unauthorized constructions, land reclamation along khadis, and resectioning and remodeling of khadi flows have severely compromised their capacity to carry stormwater. “In many areas in Surat city, smaller natural waterways have been levelled and converted into roads to facilitate traffic flow, overlooking the critical need for smooth stormwater drainage,” it asserts.

The study notes, “It can be said that the rainwater falling in city areas is unable to exit due to the ‘development’ of the city. The flooding of khadis impacts the eastern part of Surat city, affecting over 50% of Surat’s population. The textile trade also suffers during flooding, leading to economic losses.”

It estimates that khadi floods affect East Zone A, East Zone B, South East Zone, South Zone, and South West Zone, which collectively house approximately 43,75,207 of Surat’s total 82,32,085 residents.

More alarmingly, the study points out that the khadis are fed by discharges from sewage treatment plants. Moreover, numerous illegal outlets release both domestic and industrial effluents into the khadis. In fact, the city’s expanding periphery contributes untreated sewage into these waterways.

Containing a large collection of Google Earth images—compared from 2011 through 2025—of several rivulets such as Mithi Khadi, Koyali Khadi, Bhedwad Khadi, and Kankara Khadi, the study criticizes the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) for undertaking desilting as part of pre-monsoon preparedness “without due caution,” which, it claims, harms floodplain areas and reduces the capacity of the khadis to handle excess monsoon water.

One such example is a bridge over Mithi Khadi, now surrounded by a high wall over land that previously acted as a floodplain. Landfilling has raised the terrain above the natural flood level, pushing water toward other low-lying areas. “The obstruction around the bridge hampers smooth flow of water during the monsoon,” the report says.

The study further observes that construction and reclamation have reduced floodplain areas and the width of khadi stretches. Dumping and landfilling have drastically altered the elevation profile. At one site, a compound wall built in 2018 has resulted in the khadi being embanked by a concrete wall, shrinking its original area.

At another site, textile waste is directly dumped into the khadi, while accumulated solid waste and soil significantly hinder water flow. “A sewage outlet was observed discharging domestic and chemical wastewater—particularly from nearby units—into the khadi.”

Focusing on Koyali Khadi, the report notes that road construction over it restricts natural water dispersion, causing severe waterlogging in the surrounding areas during monsoon. Particularly concerning is the ongoing project from Bhathena Naher bridge to Jeevan Jyot bridge, where the khadi is being fully concretized, drastically reducing its natural capacity.

The researchers warn, “With little to no space for excess water to flow or merge into other channels, this development poses a high risk of urban flooding and long-term stagnation during monsoons.” They add that the silt removed during desilting is often dumped on the banks, only to wash back into the khadi during heavy rain.

A comparative analysis of Google satellite imagery from 2011 to 2025 at Saniya Hemad village, located on Surat’s fringe, reveals “a noticeable alteration in the khadi’s flow pattern.” The 2011 image shows a naturally meandering khadi, while the 2025 image reveals a straightened course.

“Although this engineered modification may appear efficient in the short term, it shortens flow duration and reduces water retention, diminishing both ecological and flood-buffering functions,” the researchers highlight.

Near the Raghuvir Trade Market on Bhavani Road, earlier imagery showed a visible khadi flow, which by 2025 has vanished due to construction. Built-up structures over the khadi’s path have obstructed this natural drainage, increasing the risk of urban flooding.

Examining the impact of development on water flow, the study notes that the Bhedwad Khadi followed a wider, more continuous path in 2011. By 2025, construction near Bamroli cricket ground has narrowed its course and reduced its flow capacity.

It adds that near the Dindoli Water Treatment Plant, the Bhedwad Khadi’s course has been significantly altered and straightened for aesthetic reasons, severely compromising its natural flow.

In the area around Om Industrial Estate in Saroli, researchers found the khadi’s path constantly shifting. Its older flow, once almost gone, reappeared in 2025 imagery. “Taming a khadi and constructing concrete embankments drastically alters its natural behavior,” they say, “leading to unintended consequences such as heavy silt accumulation.”

At the Kankara biodiversity park, a 2016 image shows the right bank of Kankara Khadi concretized with a diaphragm wall. The park and a road were built by raising the land level. By 2025, both banks have diaphragm walls, eliminating the khadi’s natural meander and floodplains.

Further, near Gabheni village on the city outskirts, the khadi’s course has changed due to drastic land use alterations. “Legal and illegal shrimp farms have contributed to this change. Industrial waste dumping here has led to severe water and soil pollution,” the report adds.

During fieldwork, most respondents identified poor stormwater drainage as the key issue. “Drains are too narrow, broken, or absent in some areas,” the study says. These are further clogged by solid waste, particularly plastic, discarded by residents and industries.

Shopkeepers highlighted the lack of regular SMC clean-up. They reported repeated losses during monsoon, as inventories are damaged and earnings suffer. Businesses shut down for days due to prolonged water stagnation.

In low-lying markets, encroachment on khadi banks and lack of flood management lead to backflow during heavy rainfall. Locals noted a rise in unseasonal rains, aggravating waterlogging. Builders acknowledged that unplanned urbanization has severely disrupted the city’s hydrology.

“Residents, particularly near Koyali and Mithi khadi, emphasized the interlinkage among the khadis. When Kankara Khadi overflows, water backflows into Mithi Khadi, causing flooding in homes. This is devastating in low-lying areas with poor housing,” the study notes.

“Loss of income is the most immediate impact,” residents report. For shopkeepers and daily wage earners, flooding forces closures for several days. One woman said, “I am the sole earner. When it floods, work halts for 4–5 days. My shop remains shut for a week. We then rely on SMC for food and water.”

Mobility is another major issue. Waterlogged streets restrict access to work and healthcare. Children miss school, and both public and private transport becomes unreliable due to submerged roads.

The report concludes by stressing health risks. Waterborne diseases like fever, diarrhea, and skin infections, along with vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria, increase after khadi floods. Residents mentioned rising medical expenses, adding strain to financially stressed households. “Stagnant water near homes, especially by khadi banks, becomes mosquito breeding grounds, worsening health conditions,” it warns.

Courtesy: CounterView

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The alleged incident occurred on September 8, 2024, near Variavi Bazar Police Station in Gujrat’s Surat district where it was reported that a group of 5-6 Muslim minor boys allegedly pelted stones at a Ganesh Chaturthi pandal near Variavi Bazar Police Station. The incident sparked a communal clash between two groups in the city. The incident resulted in property damage, injuries, and arrests. The Surat Police intervened, using tear gas and lathis to restore order having accused of biased and intentional lethal actions against the members of Muslim Community. After the incident, six juveniles were detained for stone-pelting, and around 28 others were arrested for rioting. The incident has sparked widespread condemnation and calls for peace and harmony.

Findings of report:

A fact-finding report conducted by Minority Coordination Committee, Gujrat over the Surat Stones Pelting incident, has raised serious questions over the handling of incident by district administration and police action in Sayyedpura area. The report highlights discrepancies in the official narrative about the incident, including why the children involved were taken to Sayyedpura Police Station instead of the nearby Variavi Bazar Police Station. Additionally, the driver of the auto-rickshaw, belongs to Hindu community transporting the children was not arrested, sparking concerns of selective targeting. The report also notes that the detained individuals were found at home, not at the scene of the alleged incident, and that the 500–700-meter distance between the incident location and their residences raises doubts about their involvement in stones pelting incident.

The report also highlights that the Ganesh Pandal where the stones were allegedly thrown is located on the main road with no construction nearby. This raises doubts about where the stones came from, suggesting the story may be fabricated.

Allegations on Surat Police’s selective arrest and biased action over the matter

On September 9, around 2 AM, the police entered the Muslim area of Sayyedpura. Policemen forcibly broke the main gate of Al Ilaf Apartment, entered the flats, abused the women and children, and detained the men. They then proceeded to Roshan Park. As report reveals.

Furthermore, the FIR was registered hours after the detentions, fuelling suspicions of fabrication. The report also criticizes the confiscation of CCTV footage by police without explanation. These findings have sparked concerns about communal bias and arbitrary action. A disturbing incident unfolded in Surat city. The children, who arrived in a Hindu-driven auto-rickshaw and accused of stones pelting were apprehended by the public and handed over to the police.

Instead of taking them to the nearby Variavi Bazar Police Station, the police took them to the Sayyedpura Police Station, about 250-300 meters away. In this incident, FIR No. 11210061240446, dated 9-9-24, has been registered. In this FIR, the children have been named as accused, and the case has been filed under sections 189(1), 189(2), 190, 298, and 299 of the IPC. The report found that no action has been taken against the police officers and staff who brutally beat the individuals who were detained.

Police stoles CCTV DVR, which recorded police’s illegal action

It has been alleged in the report that police also stole the CCTV DVR, which recorded their actions. The police reported the incident as occurring at 9:45 p.m. on September 8, 2024. All the detainees were arrested in the early hours of September 9, 2024, but the FIR was only registered at 6:30 a.m. on the same day i.e. September 9, whose number is FIR No. 11210061240447 in which it is written that a crowd of Muslims gathered and they carried out vandalism while we can clearly see in the video that the crowd of Hindu people is being instigated by the leaders, in the first FIR 27 Muslim people have been named and a crowd of 200-300 has been written and FIR no. 11210061240448 in which a crowd of 70 to 80 people has been accused of vandalizing vehicles, there is no named accused in this, in this FIR 3 Hindu people were arrested and granted bail.

The report points out that no action has been taken against the police officers who confiscated the CCTV DVRs from the apartments and roadside cameras.

Mob insisted authorities to demolish houses of Muslims

According to the report, a crowd of Hindu community gathered at Sayyedpura Police Station, mobilized by Hindu community leaders via phone. The mob repeatedly chanted demands such as handing over the children to the mob, demolishing the houses of Muslims, and other aggressive calls. Surat North MLA Kanti Balar, Mahila Morcha leader Sezal Ben, Corporator Rakesh Mali, Aarti Ben Patel, Mayor Dakshesh Bhai Mavani, and other leaders also arrived and gave provocative speeches through a microphone.

Surat Administration defying Supreme Court direction, carried out demolition

On September 9, in a shocking and retaliation move, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) carried out a demolition drive in Sayyedpura area allegedly forced by Hindu community leaders and mob gathered near the police station, despite Supreme Court’s order (staying all the demolitions and bulldozer actions without due procedure) dated 02.09.2024. The move has been condemned as a form of punitive punishment, raising serious questions about the rule of law, due process and direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court violated by the Surat Administration. The Supreme Court’s warnings have been blatantly ignored in this incident.

Full story may be read here

BJP MLA Kanti Balar delivered inflammatory speeches and provoked mob

A video also surfaced in social media that BJP MLA Kanti Balar while addressing the crowd in the presence of the police said that no Muslim will be spared and Bharatiya Janata Party is also with you. He said that “No Muslim will be spared, I am with you, those who have been caught will not be released, we will not engage in stone pelting, and we don’t want to do this either.” After this, a police officer whispered something to the MLA, who then said, “Repeated stone pelting at any place will not be tolerated; I am with you, and the Bharatiya Janata Party is with you.”

Following the provocative and inflammatory statements made by BJP MLA Kanti Balar and other leaders, the mob vandalized and burned vehicles and carts selling snacks. The mob repeatedly shout for the accused children to be handed over to them. Later, the mob also pelted stones at houses of Muslim community and mosques. When the mob was gathered there, the members of the Muslim community contacted police officers for protective measure but appropriate action was taken by the police. The police arrived but remained passive. It was alleged that no action has been taken against MLA Kanti Balar, who gave a provocative speech in front of the police.

A video surfacing on X, posted by Gujrat Police shows plainclothes officers smashing gates and locks allegedly to apprehend suspects. In the video, state Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi is also shown vowing to take strict action and arrest the people over stone pelting allegations before sunrise. The video shows those arrested could not walk properly suggesting that they were subjected to violence in the police custody.

September 9, 2024

कानून व्यवस्था सभी के लिए समान है, शांति प्रिय गुजरात में अशांति फैलाने वालो को जरा भी नहीं बख्शा जाएगा।#GujaratPolice pic.twitter.com/PUPfagp7iq

— Gujarat Police (@GujaratPolice) September 9, 2024

However, Minority Coordination Committee’s fact-finding report highlighting State-sponsored mobocracy in Surat incident, demands that;

1. An FIR should be registered against the police personnel who entered the houses without proper authority or an FIR at the time of detainment. The authority and order for such actions should be investigated.
2. An FIR should be registered immediately against the policemen responsible for breaking the doors and windows of the houses.
3. An FIR should be registered immediately against the policemen who entered the houses and abused the women and children present.
4. An FIR should be registered against the policemen who stole the CCTV DVRs from the apartments and roadside locations.
5. An FIR should be registered immediately against Surat North BJP MLA Kanti Balar for giving an inflammatory speech in front of the police, and he should be arrested.
6. If the incident occurred near Variavi Bazar Police Station, the reason for transferring the children to Sayyedpura Police Station should be investigated to determine if it was intended to harass Muslims.
7. The mobile phones of Hindu community leaders who mobilized the crowd at Sayyedpura Police Station should be examined. An FIR should be registered against them for inciting mob violence.
8. Compensation should be provided to the owners of all damaged and burned vehicles, trucks, and property, including doors and windows of houses.
9. The police officers and employees who brutally beat the detained individuals should be arrested, and an FIR should be registered against them.
10. Given the suspicions surrounding the incident, a fair and impartial investigation should be conducted by a sitting judge of the High Court.

Notably, the police produced the accused in court on September 10, 2024 at 4 p.m. During this time, the police severely beat the accused, rendering them unable to walk properly, and did not permit them to meet their family members. As the report disclose.

The report can be read here:

Related:

“Bulldozer barbarism”: Demolition drive in Surat after stones thrown at Ganesh pandal

Supreme Court rebukes “Bulldozer Justice,” plans to issue nationwide guidelines to prevent arbitrary demolitions

“Bulldozer Injustice”: Authorities demolished huts and makeshifts in Kutch’s Kandla port area

The post State-sponsored mobocracy: Fact-finding report reveals anti-Muslim actions in Surat appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In its order, the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate C V Rana, while acquitting Mohammad Akhtar Shaikh, observed that the complainant “failed to prove that the accused was a Muslim, who had posed as a Hindu bearing the name Mukesh Gupta, with a job in the Railways and had hidden the fact that he was married earlier”.

“The case is surrounded by a cloud of suspicion, and this court believes that the accused should get the benefit of doubt. Taking into account the evidence and statements of witnesses on the record, the complainant side had failed to prove the suspicion in court (about the accused being a Muslim pretending to be a Hindu) and the marriage that took place between them should not be considered as unlawful conversion,” the court also said.

Following the order, Shaikh was released from Surat Central Jail. The case concerns a complaint filed at Dindoli police station by 19-year old Pooja Sahu, a resident of Dindoli in Surat, against her husband Shaikh from Limbayat.

Pooja Sahu had alleged that Shaikh, who was from Samastipur in Bihar, had masqueraded as a Hindu man named Mukesh Gupta and married her “in a temple” at Kadodara village, on the outskirts of Surat, in 2019. The marriage was allegedly solemnised under the Hindu Marriage Act. The complaint also said that the couple had a son, who was given a Hindu name.

In August 2021, Sahu claimed that she stumbled upon the Aadhaar card of her husband and found that he was a Muslim. This was followed by frequent quarrels between the couple.

Sahu, in her criminal complaint, had further alleged that while Shaikh at first told her that he was a railway employee, she later found that he runs a paan shop near Udhna railway station in Surat. She claimed that Shaikh had taken cash worth Rs 13.7 lakh from three of her relatives on the pretext of getting them all jobs in the Railways. When he failed to get them jobs, he did not return the money, she also alleged.

Sahu further claimed that Shaikh tried to forcefully convert her to Islam and when she refused, he beat her up and “threatened to kill her”. However, when contacted, Shaikh’s lawyer V S Patil said, “The complainant works in a cell phone company. The two came in contact when Shaikh went to her store to get a connection in 2018… He also helped her get more customers to meet her target.”

“Their friendship turned into an affair and they used to visit the dargah together. She was aware that he was a Muslim. To get married, they mutually agreed to change Shaikh’s name to Mukesh Gupta, so that she could convince her family members for their wedding… They got married at a temple,” he added. “The court found that there was no evidence to show that the accused beat her up and even forced her to follow Muslim rituals,” Patil said. The assistant Public Prosecutor a M Miyatara reportedly said, “We will look into the details of the judgment and then move a higher court.”

Acting on Sahu’s complaint filed on August 11, 2021, the police booked Shaikh under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 494 (marrying again during life time of husband or wife ), 495 (same offence with concealment of former marriage from person with whom subsequent marriage is contracted), 498(a) (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Moreover, he was also booked under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021.

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It has been three months that India is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the curve of the infection and insensitivity, both don’t seem to be abating. Even though the government has issued guidelines against the eviction of tenants, incidents of the same are still rampant.

Ostracism by locals

On Friday, June 12, 2020, a 24-year-old man, Sanjay Sharma from Assam who worked at a catering firm in Surat, was allegedly beaten by three local youths who asked him to vacate a house on the suspicion that he was infected with Covid-19, The Indian Express reported. According to the police, he was rushed to the SMIMER Hospital and Medical College by his friends who managed to save him and is now stable, though he sustained fractures on his hands and legs. His friends have lodged a complaint against three – Dipu, Nepali and Bunty. The police have launched an investigation into the matter and are yet to identify them.

IE reported the police as saying that Sharma had come to Surat a few years ago and was employed at a catering firm. Out of work for the past three months, he moved out of the Pandesara area where he was staying owing to the ability of paying rent. Four days prior to the incident, he had moved in with his friends at Patelnagar in Udhna area. A day after he had moved in, locals allegedly asked Sharma’s friends to ask him to leave, suspecting that he had Covid-19. On Friday, three locals accosted Sharma and asked him to leave. However, the argument turned heated and the locals beat Sharma with wooden sticks.

MV Patel, Udhna police inspector told IE, “He was beaten up by local residents, who also made allegations that Govalaknagar in Pandesara where Sharma was staying had Covid-19 cases. We are trying to identify the accused and will arrest them.”

However, this issue is not just prevalent in cities, but also the villages in India. The Telegraph reported that seven migrant workers who returned home to Tajpur Village in Hooghly, West Bengal from Punjab, at the end of last month, faced ostracism from fellow villagers and indifference from the administration. It was reported that the seven returnees were barred from entering their own homes and were also not allowed to spend their quarantine period at the local school.

The men were then housed at a makeshift pandal made of bamboo and plastic, erected by sympathetic neighbours. However, a tree broke the makeshift structure and they were forced to spend their quarantine period in the open near a forested area, a worker told The Telegraph.

Racial discrimination

In another incident, in Mumbai, Tek Bahadur (27), who worked as a security guard, was ousted from his job by his employers who stated that it was risky to let outsiders stay in the building. A naïve Bahadur believed them at first, but only got to know the real picture when he heard from an acquaintance that he was actually replaced due to his looks, reported Free Press Journal (FPJ).

Bahadur, who worked at a Ghatkopar housing society, told FPJ, “I was fired from the job, because I am from Nepal and my looks resembled similar to those living in North east India and China.”

Deepak Koirala (30), a Nepalese waiter cum delivery boy, too had a similar story. He was ousted from his job for his employers feared that nobody would order food from the restaurant due to him. Speaking to FPJ about his plight, he said, “There are people who are spreading rumours against us. We have been coming to India for generations for our bread and butter but this is the first time we are facing such racial discrimination.”

Though Koirala said that he was assured he would get back his job once the pandemic was over, it forces one to think of the systemic racism imbibed in the minds of the people.

Throughout the country, there have been reports of frontline workers being ousted from their rented homes, neighbours ostracizing residents under quarantine and people targeting minorities with racial and casteist remarks. These are only evident of a complete disregard for the law and an unsympathetic attitude to help fellow countrymen to tide by the pandemic.

Related:

Covid-19 stigma: Medical professionals ostracized and evicted from rented homes
Migrant labourers from Bengal driven out of quarantine center in Odisha

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After the heinous insult the 68 women students of a Bhuj girls’ college were subjected to by being asked to strip and prove they were menstruating, in another incident female trainee clerks of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) were allegedly made to strip, stand naked and undergo a gynecological finger test, apart from being asked personal questions at a state-run hospital, reported The Times of India. 

It is noteworthy that the “two-finger test” that was previously used to check if the hymen is still intact as well as the elasticity of the vagina in rape survivors to gauge if they were “habituated to sex” had been outlawed years ago in India. Also, in October 2018, the UN Human Rights, UN Women and the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that virginity testing must end as it is a painful, humiliating and traumatic practice, constituting violence against women. 

The complaint against what transpired at the state-run hospital in Surat, was lodged by the SMC Employees’ Union (SMCEU) with the municipal commissioner. It was reported that over a 100 employees were in for a rude shock when they reached the Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER) for a mandatory fitness test which is conducted after the completion of a three year probation period. While the male trainees underwent a general fitness assessment that included eye, ENT, heart and lung tests and an overall body check-up; apart from the controversial finger test, even the unmarried women were allegedly asked if they’d been pregnant and had to face rude behaviour from the lady doctors.

“Female employees were forced to stand naked together in groups of around 10 in a room where they did not have any privacy. The door was not properly closed and the only thing blocking the view from outside was a curtain,” said a senior corporation employee in whom one of the women confided.

AA Shaikh, general secretary of the union said, “The issue was brought to the knowledge of SMCEU by a few trainee women employees out of the nearly 400 whose services will be regularized this year. On hearing their trauma, we demand an immediate halt to such insulting and inhuman tests. I have never heard of such a test on women employees anywhere.”

Further alleging that performing the contentious finger test on the women in a group was demeaning, he said, “If they (doctors) had any doubt about an employee’s health, they should have got tests done in an acceptable manner. Asking even unmarried women about past pregnancies is downright insulting.”

The head of the gynecology department of the hospital, Ashwin Vachhani, said, “We have to examine women physically since it is mandatory as per the guidelines. I don’t know if such tests are done on men, but in the case of women, we follow rules to find out if they have any specific illness.”

Speaking to TOI a 45-year-old female employee said she had taken a fitness test around 20 years ago, but it didn’t involve any such procedure.

AK Naik, the deputy municipal commissioner (health) said, “I have received a complaint from the SMCEU. It will be sent to the superintendent of the hospital. After proper inquiry, they will submit a report to the municipal commissioner.”

Related:

Four, including Principal, booked for humiliation of 68 girls in Bhuj hostel
Can’t have rules violating students’ dignity: NCW

The post Gujarat: Around 100  women allegedly made to undergo gynecological finger test appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: Salim Shaikh
 
Jamalpur ke patang
Bareilly ya Surat ki dori
Aur ban gayee patang ki jodi*
 
Umarbhai (Mohammad Umar Mohammad Hanif Shaikh) has been in the business of kite making for 40 years.  For 16 years as a mazdoor  (labourer) and since 1990 as a manufacturer. His father worked in Ahmedabad’s textile mills. From the April of every year until the early hours of January 14, Uttarayan, Gujarat’s premier festival he makes and sells as many as 15 lakh kites. He is the manufacturer getting the painstaking work of crafting kites from households of women in Jamalpur, Kalupur and adjoining localities of Ahmedabad. Craftswomen are all Muslim as are 98 per cent of the manufacturers. The raw material, fine kagaz (paper) and kamaan (stick frames) come from wholesale dealers from Kolkatta. The mota kagaz (thicker paper) comes from the markets of Delhi. Only five per cent of the manufacturing of kites in Gujarat from Nadiad and Khabhat is with Hindus.
 
It is a small manufacturing hub with two of his ‘worker karigars’ and the genius of Mustufabhai, the design wiz who spins out the latest fantasies that fly in the sky. This year the motifs are from Bolllywood’s Bajranji Bhaijaan and South Indian cinema’s Bahubali which commandeer the popular imagination…’I love Taj (Mahal), Sallu Bhaijaan (Salman Khan) are also other popular slogans on kites. Narendra Modi’s popularity though not as high as before, has not dropped from the skies, entirely. “Allah ke karam se hamaare Mustufabhai ke design bahut chalti hai,” Umarbhai told us. (By the grace of the Almighty Allah, Mustifabhai’s designs really work).
 
Enter the kite markets of Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur on the nights of January 12 and 13 and the area is abuzz with late night dealings. Bright lights greet us. ‘Aftabbhai Patangwaala’  is just one of the brightly lit signs. Over 500 small and large manufacturers make up the hub here.  Here are some of the names of the famous kite designers and manufacturers:  Kudratullah Amanullah Pathan of Shahin Kites, Abdul Vahidkhan Pathan of Kanij Patang Centre, Aiyubkhan Hafizkhan Pathan of Shadab Kites, Yusuf Mohammedhanif Rangrej of BS Patang Makers and Rajubhai Hafizbhai Patangwala of Gujarat Kites.

Image: Salim Shaikh

Often some of the family businesses actually involved in the crafting are mobile,  also traveling to other parts. The annual schedule goes like this: In Gujarat, kites and manja (strong) are made  from August to January. Immediately after Uttarayan, some families move to UP, where they start with the same work for Ganga Dusshera festival which falls in June-end.” Once done with the ten-day Ganga Dusshera festival, the same group can moves to Delhi for two months (July-August), as kite flying is observed in Delhi on August 15 every year. While these families work hard, the returns are minimal. “During the eight months of work in Gujarat, the gross earnings reach Rs1 lakh, against a gross expenditure around Rs 40,000,” disclosed another manufacturer, who makes and sells kites in Kalupur. This implies an approximate income of about Rs 7,500 per month, on which the entire family depends. Each member of the family specialises in different activities. “Kite-making is laborious and cannot be done by machine. While my brother is quick in cutting paper/plastic, I do the work of sticking the thin sticks on it and my brother ties the tail to it. This way, we make around 1,000-1,500 kites in a day,” says another resident of the Jamalpur area.
 
The economics works something like this. Charges of the paper for one thousand kites is Rs 1,000 and labour charges approximate Rs 600 (per 1,000 kites).The break-up is elaborate but includes cutting of paper, threading on the kite, attaching the round/curved frame and final stick links, finishing etc. The rate at which the manufacturer sells to the wholesaler is between Rs 2,000-2,500 per 1,000 kites after incurring a cost of Rs 1600 per thousand kites. The profit therefore is between forty paise to ninety paise per kite. A pittance for the actual skilled worksmith and manufacturer; higher for the stockist and retailer. A kite can sell at Rs four to five in retail markets depending on the size.

Gujarat unfortunately known for its intra-community divide drops this side of its identity when it comes to doing business. “In 1992 and again in 2002 when communal sentiments were at their height, for a few months relations are strained,” says Umarbhai. Then things return to the proverbial, businesslike normal.
 
While the kites of Rampur, Jaipur and Jodhpur are famously made from other materials, the kagaz ki kalaakaari (art of paper made kites that fly high and far) rests solely with the women and men, Muslims, of Ahmedabad. Manufacturers sell to the stockists (wholesalers) from all over Gujarat; Umarbhai’s stock goes as far as stockists in Nadiad, Kalol and nearby Kalupur: Kalaa hamare haath mein hai, Vyapaar unke haat mein. (The manufacturing is with us, the trade is in Hindu hands)
 
The months after Diwali (around October-November each year) and Uttarayan ( kite flying festival on the occasion of Makar Sakranti) are the busiest. Each home, depending on the capacity of the women members, makes as many as 4-10,000 kites and is paid per piece). Designs are carefully chosen and dished out. While the paper-cutting. Designing and pasting is a Gujarati skill, the dori rangna (colouring of the maanjha, the string that flies the kites) is a skill handled by kaarigars (skilled worksmiths) from Kolkatta. Though many of these are Muslims, some are not; they come and station themselves in Ahmedabad for the tricky and skilled task of mixing ground glass paste and colours that are then coated on the strong that flies the kites. The proportion of the mix is crucial: too much can sear fingers that fly the kites, and too little glass can make you fail the Uttarayan  test: flying the kite and cutting down the one of your opponent. The most famous doris are from Bareilly and Surat. The Bareilly dori is available in markets there. the dori worksmiths from Kolkatta come in to Gujarat. But the final product is pasted together in and around Ahmedabd’s Jamalpur. Before they are flown high up in the sky.

*The kites of Jamalpur
The string of Surat or Barreily
That makes up the right kite combination

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Sugar factory workers on strike

Surat/Kolkata: The 14-day-long strike called by the tribal workers who annually assemble in and around Surat to harvest sugarcane formally ended without much being promised to the protesting workers.

Traditionally, over 200000 tribal workers from Daang and Tapi district of Gujarat and Maharashtra’s Dhule and Nandurbar area migrate to Surat to harvest sugarcane.

But, these workers this year refused to migrate leaving their contractor and sugar factory owners in a fix.

Explaining the reason for the protest, Sudhir Katiyar, an Udaipur-based social activist working for the cause of migratory workers while speaking to eNewsroom said, “The workers work under conditions that are frequently referred to as modern-day slavery. A pair of worker toil for up to 12 hours a day to harvest and load on to trucks one metric tonne of sugarcane for which they are paid Rs. 255. Thus average daily wage works out to Rs. 127.50 that is significantly less than Rs. 178 per day for agriculture workers in Gujarat.”

Strike Banner and Charter of Demands

However, what makes their condition worse is the fact that these workers take advance from the contractors, which they repay on being paid. “At times these workers have to repay almost one-and-a-half times more than the money that their contractor had given,” said Katiyar.

On being asked the need for this, he explained, “The advance is necessitated by the fact that the factories do not pay the workers regular wages as defined under the Payment of Wages Act. Instead, they provide bare minimum food ration and pay wages at the end of the season in gross violation of the law. The workers live for six months literally on the road in tents of polythene sheets without any basic facilities like drinking water, electricity, and sanitation. Children migrate with their parents and join them at work as there are no educational facilities at the campsites.”
However, the strike also is historical in another sense. “The workers are employed by cooperative sugar factories of South Gujarat led by the Bardoli sugar factory that is the largest and oldest sugar factory. Bardoli is the site where Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel undertook the famous struggle for farmers against British colonial rulers. While he won a famous victory and got established as a premier leader in national politics, according to one set of historians, in the process he also betrayed the interests of the tribal farm workers on Patel farms. It has taken almost a century for tribal workers to organize for their dues,” explained Katiyar.

Sugar factory workers protest with their banners

However, the revolt didn’t seem to rattle the sugar factory owners, who on the other hand managed to manipulate or arm-twist the labours, who had already taken advance from their contractors.

Macwan added, “We want the daily wage to be fixed following the minimum wage draft notification which was passed on January 21, 2019. We have reached a compromise this year, but next year we will be better prepared to fight for the rights of the workers employed in the sugarcane farms.”

“On October 9, there was an informal meeting between the factory owners, contractors and the representatives of the Majdur Adhikar Manch, where they come to an informal agreement where the workers have been verbally promised to be paid a higher daily wage than what they have been getting till date,” informed Denis Macwan of Surat Committee.

He further said, “There was immense pressure from Ishwarsinh Patel, Chairman, Gujarat State Federation of co-op. Sugar Factories Ltd to end the strike. Also, the workers were supposed to return their advance, which could be cleared only after they harvested the sugarcane crop. So, the contractors compromised for a raised daily wage of Rs 300 per day.”

Macwan added, “We want the daily wage to be fixed following the minimum wage draft notification which was passed on January 21, 2019. We have reached a compromise this year, but next year we will be better prepared to fight for the rights of the workers employed in the sugarcane farms.”

Courtesy: enewsroom.in
 

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Air pollution caused by surat site

In a significant ruling, not just for Surat but also for Ahmedabad, the National Green Tribunal (NTG) has asked the Surat authorities in South Gujarat to take a decision and “issue work order for commencing the work of closure of Khajod open dumping site within one month”, even as start working on the action plan for scientific disposal of solid waste.

Khajod Major Cause for Pollution: Located in the coastal zone of Surat, Gujarat’s second biggest city, which has turned into a major business hub in western India, Khajod has turned into a major cause of pollution, affecting around five lakh people, says MSH Sheikh, a well-known environment expert, who has been campaigning against the site’s existence for the last several years.

Dumping municipal solid waste (MSW) on its 117 hectares (ha) site, the pollution caused by fire on it “spreads heavy air pollution in 10 km radius, causing health issues in Khajod, Budiya, Gabeni, Dipli, Jiyav and Bhimrad villages, all of whom are situated in the five kilometers of the site, Sheikh says, adding, “Vector borne diseases, over and above air pollution and foul odour, have been reported due to the mismanagement of the site.”

Solid Waste Site in Surat

According to available estimates, Surat city generates a total of 1,600 metric tonnes of solid waste per day, all of which is dumped at Khajod. A private company, which was given the contract to “handle” the solid waste, says the expert, never cared to do it in a scientific manner. The result is, as of today, more than 40 lakh metric tonnes of solid waste has gathered at the site.

Parivartan Trust, the NGO which went to the NGT against the polluting site, says, “Despite our repeated requests, neither Gujarat’s urban development department, nor the municipal corporation authorities did anything to ensure that this private company handles sold waste in a scientific way. This is one reason why we decided to approach the NGT.”

The NGT ruling comes amidst increasing concern not just in Surat but also in Ahmedabad, whose outskirts have a major dumping site with similar characteristics. Situated near Pirana village, it adversely affects lakhs of people living around the spot. Worse, set up in 1980, a 1989 Gujarat government notification had said, the dumping site should be disbanded and shifted “within 20-25 years”, which meant it should have been removed by 2005.

Ahmedabad site situated next to Bombay Hotel Transit Camp and ITDPs

 
“Yet nothing has been done for this, Insaf Foundation, a local NGO campaigning against the Ahmedabad MSW site, says. The NGO quotes an Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, study to say that there are as many as 35 poisonous gases emanating from the Pirana solid waste site. Another study by the St Xavier’s College, is quoted as saying that the pollution level around the site is twice as much as the rest of the city.

“As a result of this, the death rate among the residents of the area is much higher. Women complain of premature abortion. The water pollution because of the site has also led to higher incidence of kidney failure, acute asthma cases, heart failure, and so on”, Insaf’s Kalim Siddique, who has prepared a profile of individuals suffering from the diseases, says.
 
 

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परिजनों ने बताया कि कल युवक को थाने ले जाने के बाद हमने पीआरओ से हिरासत में लिए जाने का कारण पूछा। इसपर उन्होंने कहा कि अभी मुझे इसकी जानकारी नहीं है कल बता दिया जाएगा। परिजनों ने थाने जाकर भी पूछताछ की लेकिन उन्हें कुछ नहीं बताया गया। 
 
प्रवीण की मां ने बताया कि पुलिस ने उनसे भी दुर्व्यवहार किया। पुलिस वालों ने उन्हें धमकी दी कि यहां से चली जाओ वरना तुम्हें भी लॉकअप में डाल देंगे। अभी तक युवक की मौत का कारण पता नही चल पाया है। पुलिस अधिकारी की कहना है कि पुलिस स्टेशन के सीसीटीवी की फुटेज के आधार पर जांच होगी।
 
आपको बता दें कि गुजरात में दलितों को प्रताड़ित करने में पुलिस भी आगे रहती है। उना में चार दलित युवकों को पुलिस थाने के सामने ही पीटा गया था। कथित गोरक्षक उन्हें पीटते रहे लेकिन कोई भी पुलिसकर्मी पीड़ितों को बचाने नहीं आया।

Courtesy: National Dastak

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सूरत पुलिस के अनुसार, पीड़ित महिला दलित है जो सूरत नगर निगम के शहरी विकास विभाग में पहले काम करती थी। शिकायत के अनुसार, जुलाई 2014 से जून 2015 के बीच नगर निगम के अधिकारियों ने उसे प्रताड़ित किया। लालगेट थाने में की गई शिकायत में सूरत नगर निगम के उपायुक्त केतन पटेल, कंप्यूटर विभाग के राकेश राणा, इंजीनियर निरीष पटेल, सहायक इंजीनियर संजय पटेल और सेक्शन अधिकारी हेमलता देसाई के नाम शामिल किए हैं।

पीड़ित महिला ने अपनी शिकायत में कहा है कि आरोपी उसे फोन भी करते थे, खुश करने को कहते थे और उसे मैसेज भेजते थे। पीड़ित महिला की उसी विभाग में कॉन्ट्रेक्ट पर काम करने वाली बेटी के पास भी ये आरोपी मैसेज भेजते थे।

मामले की जाँच सूरत पुलिस के अनुसूचित जाति/जनजाति प्रकोष्ठ को सौंप दी गई है। एससी-एसटी सेल की सहायक आयुक्त नीता देसाई ने बताया है कि अभी तक किसी आरोपी को गिरफ्तार नहीं किया गया है। पहले सभी आरोपियों के बयान लिए जाएँगे, फोन कॉल और मैसेज के सबूतों का विश्लेषण किया जाएगा और फिर उनके खिलाफ ज़रूरी कार्रवाई की जाएगी।

मामला दर्ज होने के बाद से आरोपी जवाब देने से बच रहे हैं।
 

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