Kahalgaon: Although I started my Bihar journey from Bhagalpur, but I am narrating my visit to Kahalgaon first and foremost. That is because it was in Kahalgaon I realized that this project of mine is much more than just a photographic journey. The plight of the fishing community in this town was heart-breaking.
India used to have "zameendars" during the British occupation. [Zameen = Land; Dar = Owner/Lord]. In the state of Bihar the waters of river Ganga were also "owned" by "zameendars" and this system was termed "paanidari" [Paani = Water; Dar = Owner/Lord].
Although "zameendari" system was abolished by the Indian government in 1954, the "paanidari" system was not. It thrived for a long time, with "paanidars" holding onto waters of river Ganga and making the fishermen fish in those waters. But the catch however belonged to the "paanidars" and the fishermen were left with almost nothing. Plus they were taxed on top of that. [According to Tarun Kanti Bose, the Ganga was divided into two stretches between Sultanganj and Kahalgaon, each stretch belonging to one "zameendar", thus there were only two such "paanidars"].
In 1982 the fishing community from the Kahalgaon area started a movement to get the "paanidari" system abolished. It was the Ganga Mukti Andolan [Save the Ganga Movement].
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| I am addressing the fishing community at the Ganga Mukti Andolan head-office in the town of Kahalgaon. After listening to their plight it was hard to concentrate on my photo expedition. I promised them I would try my best to get their situation known to the world. Photo: Subhasis Dey |
The fishing community won their battle against the "paanidari" system in 1990, only to lose it again in 1991. This time to the government. The waters of river Ganga from Sultangnaj all the way up to Kahalgaon and beyond (areas bordering the state of West Bengal) were declared a sanctuary. As a result fishing was prohibited!
--to be continued--
That's so nice of you sir to have visited my town.. and raised fishermen' s issues. Kaagjitola and Musharitola are two areas in Kahalgaon that are inhabited by the fishermen, they had been fishing for very long and thats the only skill they have... govt. declared Kahalgaon as a Dolphine sanctuary and snatched their livelihood away... true Dolhpines need to be protected, but govt. should have rehabilitated fishermen beforehand given them alternate jobs or trained them with new skills, presence of NTPC might have helped in this regard.
ReplyDeleteGanga in Kahalgaon is also bearing the burnt of the presence of 2350 mw power plant of NTPC.... People don't protest coz majority of them are dependent someway or the other on NTPC. Fly-ashes from NTPC have rendered a huge amount of fertile agricultural land into barren and Villagers don't have a platform to voice their opposition. Their outcry hasn't been heard till now....
Thanks for visiting my blog Chandravanshi and taking time out to write about other problems in Kahalgaon. It was a heart wrenching to hear about their problems. I wish we could do something about them ...
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