A Profile of Machhimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan (MASS)

By SAJITH SUKUMARAN

The Origins:
Machhimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan (MASS) came up as a result of the community mobilisation and capacity building that 'Setu' has been doing among the traditional fishing communities of Kutch at Bhadreshwar village in Mundra Taluk of Kutch district. 'Setu' is a programme of Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan.

Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan had evolved from the civil society initiatives for providing relief to the people affected by the 1998 cyclone. When Gujarat had another cyclone in 1999, Abhiyan proved a highly useful platform for NGOs as well as the people during the relief stage. When the earthquake hit Kutch in 2001, Abhiyan emerged as a crucial agency playing a pivotal role in providing relief to the affected families, and also in coordinating the efforts of governmental and civil society agencies.

'Setu', literally meaning 'bridge', has been the flagship programme of Abhiyan after the 2001 earth quake. 'Setu' acts as a bridge between the communities and the outside world. Abhiyan set up a network of Setus in the district, each one of them catering to a cluster of villages. Each Setu also has a thematic focus as well. The Setu at Bhadreshwar has its focus on the fishing communities and coastal issues.

Over the last few years, the Kutch coast has been witnessing massive industrialisation centred around Mundra Port. A large stretch of the Mundra coast is being developed through the setting up of the 7400 crore multi product Special Economic Zones (SEZ) by the Adani Group. The coast has already seen the destruction of large tracts of mangroves and filling up of vast areas of land for infrastructure development. The way this whole process has been progressing led to the fear that the fishing communities may lose their livelihoods, and the entire coastal ecosystem could be in peril in no time.

As a result of the Bhadreshwar Setu's work, the Wagher fishing community got organised to address the imminent threat to their livelihoods. Setu helped the community organise 'Bandar Panchayats', an institutional structure formed around the bandars where the Wagher families move in from different villages and stay for the entire fishing season. Bandar Panchayats were innovative as in they provided a much needed common platform for them to address the issues that they faced at the bandar level.

MASS: The Early Days
Machhimar Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti (MASS, later renamed as Machhimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan) was initiated in early 2007. The Samiti was formed as a forum for organising the fishing communities for struggles to protect their rights to their livelihood in the wake of the fast development around the Mundra Port. It was thirteen fishermen leaders, representing the various villages and bandars on the Mundra coast, who came together to form MASS.

The first major issue that MASS addressed was the need to uphold the rights of the pagadiya fishermen, who go fishing on foot in the intertidal zone, for access to the seashore. The Adani Group had laid an air strip along the coast within the premises of the proposed SEZ. The air strip blocked the traditional pathway used by the pagadiya fishermen of Sekhadiya village. MASS organised an agitation against this. Starting on 10th February 2007, a long struggle evolved, with fisher people continuing a sit in strike for 35 days. Finally, Adani Group had to make amendments to their plans, ensuring the protection of the pathway for the Sekhadiya fishermen. MASS was on its way.

MASS plunged into the national level issues and campaigns by joining and playing an active role in the all India agitation initiated by NFF in May 2008. Led by the late leader Harekrishna Debnath, the struggle was organised in the form of a rally that covered the entire coast starting from Kutch and ending with West Bengal, citing the pertinent issues affecting the fishing communities and demanding the protection of the coasts, culminating with a rally in Delhi on 11th November 2008. MASS was on its way to developing a national perspective of coastal issues.

In 2008, MASS took up large scale awareness campaigns against the massive destruction of mangroves along the Kutch coast by the Adani Group. It held various agitations raising the issue of the rights of the fishing communities to livelihoods. It organised a district level campaign April 2009. The high point of the campaign was a rally in Mundra town on 17th April, which was addressed by several leaders including Fr. Thomas Kochery. In 2009 August, MASS actively involved with the collective action against the proposed power plant to be set up close to Randh bandar, the largest bandar of traditional fisher folks on the Mundra coast.

Since 2008, MASS has been part of the state level and nation wide campaigns and agitations organised or supported by NFF. These included campaign against displacement of fishing communities as part of setting up SEZs, campaigns related to CRZ/CMZ, coastal protection, struggles against destruction of mangroves, campaigns relating to the newly introduced Fisheries Bill, and for protecting the rights of the fishing communities in the wake of massive industrialisation along the coast line.