I
I was on visit to small scale fishing communities in Maharashtra's Ahmadnagar District from 22 to 24 January 2025.
My first station of halt was in Dahigao village in Shevgao taluka in Ahmadnagar District on 22 January 2025.
I got to know that several thousand small scale fishers of this village and many more villages around carry on their fishing activities in the waters of Jaikawadi dam constructed on Godavari river flooding 36,000 hectares of land sometime around 1972. People lost their houses as well as cultivation land as water level increased due to river being dammed.
Water surface attracted migratory birds for aound three months of the years. Around 1986 this dam was declared as bird sanctuary placing restrictions on fishing activities. Nevertheless people continue to venture for fishing for diversity of local fish species.
Ten years ago Telapia got introduced into dam waters and local fish variety have drastically reduced. Price reduced from Rs.200/- per kg to Rs.30/- per kg of fish with Telapia dominating dam waters. This has affected local fishing economy in negative manner.
Around four years ago this dam attracted another project to cover up 30,000 hectares of dam water with solar panels to generate electricity. That leaves just 6,000 hectares for fishing.
In order to materialize this project there is also plans to erect barricade around the waters of Jaikawadi dam to prevent entry of fishing communities in the waters.
This situation has created tense situation and promted opposition amongst local fishing communities. There is sangarsh samiti operating in several affected villages.
Matter has shuffled in various Courts from High Court, NGT and currently in Supreme Court of India.
There are many fishers who has e-shram cards. However the Occupational details doesn't mention as fisher but as workers. Few do mention as fishers. Communities need expertise on how to effect correction in their occupation, and request to this effect was placed before me.
Fishing communities here also complaint about restrictions placed on them by forest department in using diesel engines to their boats.
There are several cases of accidental death of fishers in dam waters while they were fishing. This needs further investigation.
The matter about sugar factory waste finding its way into the dam water was also discussed during the meeting.
It is important that fishers here are unionized and NFSF needs to take urgent steps to organise and effectively intervene. Approximate affected fishers due to solar panel project in Jaikawadi dam are 40,000 while total number of affected people is around 3 lakh.
There is need to connect with those in the know-how of this issue as leadership level to further enhance understanding. I did attempt to do this but got only partial success. Further urgent follow-up is recommended.
II
I have come to know that local fishers had organised themselves into 27 "Societies" but they got dissolved as auditing wasn't done within time limits.
This point came up for discussion during my second meeting on 23 January 2025 at Pravara Sangam village in Nevasa Taluka. This village to expressed desire to co-operate in forming Union and four people volunteered to take this task ahead.
I had another meeting with fushers on 23 January 2025 at Ramdoh village in Nevasa village and they too are affected by Jaikawadi dam solar panel project and expressed desire to unionize themselves to asser their collective strength.
III
My last meeting with fishers was on 24 January 2025 at Taaklebandh village in Sirirampur Taluka. Here local ST fishers land was acquired for Govindsagar dam that was commissioned in 1972. So the lost their land.
This is also the village of Balasaheb Gangorde, one of NFSF working committee member from Maharashtra.
Issues here are of Rights. Fishers had registered society I 1994-95 and got dissolved in 2003-04 for failure to complete audit report on time.
In 2021-22 two applications were moved before the authorities to register fresh society. Fishers had moved their application before the second one. Second one was moved by non-fishers to counter the first application. State authorities accepted second application from non-fishers and left fishers in a state deprivation and expulsion.
As a result of this situation local fishers are not allowed to carry on their fishing activities. Agitation is going on. Possibilities of unionized fishworkers here was discussed and possibilities explored.
IV
There is need to put in place active NFSF network across Maharashtra with support from functioning registered and unregistered Unions. This is very important as currently functioning is not co-ordinated state-wide and fragmented planning can hamper effective action and impactful interventions.
Urgent attention of all our NFSF contacts in Maharashtra is called for as we need to put in criss-cross networks in place with the expansion of Union reach, base and membership.
V
This visit was facilitated effectively by Ashankur women's centre at Bokar in Srirampur taluka. I am particularly gratefully to Sr. Prisca, Sr. Agnes, Atul, Prakash, Rekha and Ashwini. There is tremendous scope to work further from here particularly with regard to women in fishing and women fish vendors as leadership here has expressed desire to move in that direction. Further thoughts and clarity is required to move ahead in this direction.
I also place on record tremendous commitment demonstrated by NFSF National Working Committe member Balasaheb Gangorde during my three days visit there.
Urgent follow up needed on this note both for purpose of verification and organizational advancement.
Sebastiao Rodrigues
General Secretary,
National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF)
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