Anandrao Bendukle, 81, had been embroiled in a battle for rehabilitation for the past 20 years against the state. His agricultural land was submerged while making the Kashyapi Dam along river Godavari.
In 1997, when the lands of Kashyapnagar, Dhondegaon, Devargaon and other regions in Nashik district where acquired, the Maharashtra government had promised to give project affected people (PAP) monetary compensation for their lands and ensured jobs in government establishments.
However, the promises have proven to be fake as Anandrao and 300 other farmers of the region still await their compensation. The lack of support from the government had prompted the PAP of Kashyapnagar to file a case with the Nashik district court. But the slow judicial system of India isn't helping their cause either.
"Now my age is also 81. How long do I have to live? I have no faith, this will end too," Anandrao dejectedly tells Maya Khodve, Video Volunteers correspondent from Nashik.
Anandrao was once a proud farmer but today he works as a stone mason. Is this the kind of respect a farmer, who has fed the nation deserved? Call up Principal Secretary of Water Resources Department, Mumbai, Maharashtra on +91-2222023038 and demand that the people get the justice they deserve.
Community correspondent Maya Khodve reports from Maharashtra for Video Volunteers.
Community Correspondents come from marginalised communities in India and produce videos on unreported stories. These stories are ’news by those who live it.’ they give the hyperlocal context to global human rights and development challenges. See more such videos at www.videovolunteers.org. Take action for a more just global media by sharing their videos and joining in their call for change. we could hyperlink to some VV pages, like our take action page.
Impact Story
Solving Land Rights Issues
16 families from Odisha's Sundergarh district were paying taxes for a piece of land allotted to them 22 years ago through government schemes. But in reality the land was allotted only on paper. They did not even know the location of the land for which they had been paying taxes...
No Cards
Yashodhara – A salve for the social injuries of the Dalits in Mumbai’s slums.
Yashodhara Salve’s style of community journalism has led to Dalit women marshalling against atrocities they faced, women standing up against traditions that exile them from society and women going on camera to demand education for their daughters which is a basic right. The 38-year old Community Correspondent grew up in...