The ITF demands action from Indian government as port workers’ and fishers’ homes in Kandla razed to ground, with nearby communities living in fear.
The demolition of an entire informal settlement that was home to thousands of port workers and fishers is condemned by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
In a letter sent to the Deenyadal Port Authority (DPA), local government and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, the ITF called for action to help the estimated 2,500 workers who have been left homeless and destitute.
More than 600 huts were demolished in the Banna Mazdoor Basti settlement in the early hours of 5 September. Many residents in the settlement, near Kandla Port, in Gujarat, have lived there for generations, and many are from a minority Muslim community.
In the letter, ITF General Secretary, Stephen Cotton, said: “This shocking act, justified by what our affiliate believes to be spurious claims of security concerns, has left thousands of people homeless.
“We are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the displaced residents, many of whom have been integral to the operation of what is India’s largest public sector port. We also recognise that the very existence of such settlements is itself directly tied to the informalisation of the port labour force following the revision of the Dock Labour Act in 2007.
“These port workers play a role that is essential to the rapidly growing Indian economy, and we believe that is a basic duty of the Deenyadal Port Authority and the Indian Government to protect their dignity and fundamental human rights.”
In comments given to the Indian Express on why the demolition took place, DPA chairman Sushil Kumar Singh said that the DPA “had been getting lots of inputs about threat[s] to coast security, maritime security and security of cargo that is handled by the port”, adding that resettlement and rehabilitation of affected people “is not our mandate”.
ITF affiliate Shri Kutch General Mazdoor Sangh (SKGMS) is closely monitoring the situation on the ground near Kandla Port. ITF is supporting SKGMS’ effort to ensure restitution for the workers who have lost their homes.
SKGMS and the ITF demand that the Port Authority and government commit to no further settlement demolitions which, without resettlement of residents beforehand, may be in breach of Indian law.
“We have been told of considerable fear among workers in the port area that demolitions of other, similar settlements are planned,” Cotton said in the letter.
“Given the questionable legality of evictions such as that seen in Kandla, and the human rights abuses and social crises that they generate, we urge you to desist in executing any such plans and to instead put to rest the fear, anxiety and uncertainty that is prevalent among the port workforce and local community.”
The ITF urges the immediate implementation of three measures in response to the demolition:
- The Government of India must provide compensation and resettlement for displaced workers, in accordance with Indian law.
- The Deenyadal Port Authority and local government should stop all plans for further demolitions of worker settlements and must instead develop a plan for the rehabilitation of workers.
- The Deenyadal Port Authority and local government should meet with ITF affiliated-unions in the region to consult on a proper humanitarian response and sustainable solution.
ITF President, Paddy Crumlin, said: “This is an outrageous attack on the rights of the dockers and fishers of Kandla, whose lives have been ruined by the brutality of the authorities involved in this.
“It’s hard to imagine how painful it is to see your own home being torn down, and it’s simply unacceptable that these workers haven’t been re-settled. The ITF and our brothers and sisters around the world won’t rest until we see justice for these workers.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- In August 2022, in the case Shakarpur Slum Union vs Dda And Ors, the Delhi High Court ruled that: “… persons cannot be evicted with a bulldozer at their door step early in the morning or late in the evening, without any notice, rendering them completely shelter-less. A reasonable period has to be given to such persons and temporary location has to be provided to them before embarking on any demolition activities”. See here.
- In comments to the Indian Express, the DPA chairman said that some fishermen were “offered residential facilities outside the port area more than a decade ago”. A “fishermen leader” told the Indian Express that: “The DPA had been serving notices for the past two or three years to vacate the area but most of the people there had nowhere else to go. Many of them had been living there for generations. So, they stayed put.” See here.
