kewat community and their Displacement struggle concluded with good news.

                                              

Almost completing two and half hour travelling on train us along with sabana Mam arrived on 7:30PM in the evening at Ambedkarnagar (Akbarpur). Mr. Manoj singh is the social activist who is looking after the community work. He came to receive then by walking by walking we went to the Hotel. Akbarpur city is quite smaller than Banaras. We went there then planned for next day schedule. Next day early in the morning we went to kewat community of chintaura village, Tanda Block, Ambedkar Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.

     Kewat community living in the Shore of Ghagra River since 1975 had the seventy six families of the manjhi (Fisherman Community) were settled by the immediate Sub- Divisional Magistrate Baba Hardev which is 20 kilo meter away from the district headquarter. Before, they were living in the bank of majha and they lost their houses, crops and vegetables in the field and other essential belongings every year due to flood. Then they have to migrate to different places during rainy season. So, Baba Hardev settled them in the bank of Ghagra River but they did not find the legal paper and documents of the land. After few years some families left and settle down to different places.

      Not having allotment of land, the people of chintaura can’t settle to make their pucca or mud hut. They were living in the thatched roof. Because of this they had to wake up whole night in rainy season. They should get scared of storm or thunder storm. Going deeply about their problem the people informed that they were deprived from all governmental schemes such as Antodaya anna Yojana card, work under MGREGA, and hospital and education etc. These survivors facing apathy from Government Institution and were lonely and isolated, completely hopeless and demoralized. They felt their inherent dignity as human being has been destroyed. 

PVCHR provided multi-layers and multi-dimensional direct support and effective access to essential services for the healing, empowering and justice to the survivors of Chintaura. In 2010 this village was selected for creating torture free model village support of Rehabilitation and Research Center for torture Victim now known as DIGNITY: Danish Institute against Torture. PVCHR worked with traumatized victims of torture represent a pragmatic means to use victims’ narratives to build rights based consciousness and resistance. On the basis of testimonies, urgent appeal was issued and later was sent to various concerned authorities. The matter was intervened with the various concerned authorities. The commission takes a serious view and directs its registry to issue summons to the concerned authority. 

      Finally In 2015 they received allotment and procession of land for housing (0.009 hectare) in 3 kilometer away from the village to 23 families. Now aanganwadi (ICDS) and ANM are coming in the village for providing health facilities to the pregnant mothers and children. The people are having food grains from government shop and unique identity card i.e Aadhar card on the address of chintaura settlement.

There are 12 more families who haven’t got land. Now, the PVCHR is going to advocate for providing land to remaining families and livelihood opportunities to the kewat families.
     There is documentary video of kewat community in YouTube so fo that you can type annu baskota and see my video.