Relevance of Ganga Mukti Andolan: Then and Now

Ganga Mukti Andolan meeting in 2024. SANDRP_11zon

April 29, 2025SANDRP

GUEST ARTICLE BY DR. RUCHI SHREE

On 22-23 February, 2025, Ganga Mukti Andolan (GMA) celebrated its 43rd anniversary in Kahalgaon (Bhagalpur, Bihar). In these two days celebration, social activists from different parts of the country participated to underline the problems faced by river Ganga and the fisherfolk community of this region. Its slogan ‘Ganga ko aviral bahne do’ (let the Ganga flow freely) which united the different sections of the society to come together in the 1980s seems to be so relevant even today. For a movement to survive for four decades undoubtedly marks its relevance. However, during this long span of time, the movement has undergone several changes. But at the same time, it also marks a continuity and this essay is an attempt to understand the nuances and significance of this struggle.

Historical Significance of the GMA:

Bhagalpur (historically known as Ang Janpad), a district of South Bihar is situated between Sultanganj (in its east) and Pirpainti (in its west).  The GMA started in 1982 at Kagzi Tola, a colony of fisher folk in Kahalgaon subdivision of Bhagalpur. This movement inspired by the J P movement[i] had started to fight for the abolition of Jalkar Jamindari Pratha[ii] (Panidari tax system) prevalent in this region for three hundred years. But gradually it also focused on some other social problems such as caste system, ban on liquor (main cause of domestic violence) in this area which were not directly related to river Ganga.

The decade preceding the formation of the GMA was significant for the subsequent buildup of the movement in multiple ways. In 1972, a case was filed in the Supreme Court against the judgment of the High Court of Bihar. It is pertinent to note that earlier the High Court had argued that the issue of tax over river water is different from the land tax[iii]. However, this unique taxation was prevalent only in this area from Sultanganj to Pirpainti and in the rest of Bihar, fishery rights or contracts for fishing were controlled by the Govt. of Bihar. This legal battle could be seen in the light of community rights over the river as an entity in itself.

The sustained efforts of this movement led to the abolition of Panidari tax in 1991 during Lalu Yadav’s regime in Bihar. Another significant achievement of the GMA was the distribution of 531 acre of Benami jameen (land without any entitlement) in Shankarpur diyara between Ghogha (gram panchayat) and Kahalgaon. Many landless residents were benefitted by this land distribution. This movement is considered quite important in this region for its attempt to bring the different sections of the society around the plight of the river Ganga.

Strategies used by the Movement:

The GMA registered a non-governmental organization (NGO) named Jal Shramik Sangh (JSS) in 1983 to unite the fisherfolk community of this region. Anil Prakash ji, a senior leader of the GMA shared that the JSS was earlier named as Nishad Shramik Sangh but since it signified merely one community thus to rename it was to make it more inclusive. The GMA twice organized the Eklavya[iv] Melas in Kahalgaon in the year 1983 and 1990 respectively. The available literature suggest that these Eklavya Melas were the cultural events which tried to link the political and social problems at the grassroots. The movement also started its own bulletin Abhiyaan to update the day-to-day developments of the movements.

The GMA gave a clarion call to the youth and women to join the struggle with the slogans such as ‘jiska sangharsh, uska netritv’ (the leadership of those whose struggle is), ‘mahilaon ki aadhi bhagidari’ (equal representation of the women). The songs of the movement were sung/written for documentation in Angika (local language) to convey the plight of farmers and fishermen. Such a move helped the movement attract the masses in large numbers. In 1984, the ‘Fishermen Boatmen Meeting’ was organized in Kahalgaon to discuss issues such as floods, fishery, etc. In April, 1987, a ‘boat march’ (nauka juloos) was organized from Kursela[v] (Katihar) to Patna via Kahalgaon, Bhagalpur, and Sultanganj and the movement caught the wide attention of the society and intelligentsia.

Contemporary Context of the Movement:

Bhagalpur is one of the “smart” cities in making and the city’s sewage treatment plant (STP) is a work in progress. It is also one of the cities under the River City Alliance (RCA)[vi] project of the central govt. but at the local level one hardly gets to see any symbiotic relationship between the city and river. In the last four decades, GMA seems to have covered a long path and it is known as GMA-JSS rather than merely GMA. Let us try to understand the why and how of this movement that has kept itself alive till date. With the abolition of panidari tax in 1991, the fishermen were granted free fishing except the restriction of a certain period for the breeding of fish.  However, the same year the area between Sultanganj to Pipainti was declared as Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary that led to restrictions on the fishing community in the name of dolphin conservation. So, while the free fishing was declared on paper by the Bihar govt. but the restrictions on fishing continued as a practice. Along with fishermen, the boating community is another river dependent community and the state’s decisions regarding river has an impact on them.

As per my interactions with the GMA-JSS activists (mainly the fishermen and boatmen), the license for boating and fishing is issued to a very small number of people and they are forced to switch to other sources of livelihood. They also shared that many of them even migrate to other parts of the country to work as daily wage labourers, rickshaw pullers, vegetable and fruit vendors. They argue that that the centre and state’s legislations are not in favour of river dependent communities. They cited the examples of centre-led National Mission to Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the recruitment of some Dolphin Mitras (friends of Dolphin) by the Bihar-govt. to highlight that merely a miniscule number of people are the beneficiaries of these projects. It is noteworthy that the NMCG is playing an active role in Bhagalpur district and the construction of riverfront[vii] is going on but hardly any feedback has been taken from the boatmen and fishermen. The experience of riverfront developments in India suggests that they are concerned about the beautification of the city rather than better opportunities for the river dependent communities. 

Issues and Challenges before the GMA-JSS:

As mentioned above, the tussle between dolphin conservation and livelihood of the local fishermen seems to be at the forefront of the ongoing struggle. The activists say that they are not against the dolphin conservation but the sanctuary should not cause ban on the fishermen. They argue that the biodiversity conservation (not just dolphin but also the turtles, prawns, crocodiles, etc.)  should focus on reducing the state-led development activities such as construction of dams, dredging, and cruise tourism, etc. in the river Ganga. Second issue is their demand to demolish the Farakka barrage. This year, Tarikul Islam (a member of Ganga Bhangan Action Committee) also participated in the anniversary of GMA and many social organizations are planning to fight together for this demand. Farakka barrage is considered a major obstacle in this region due to two reasons – first, the number of floods has increased due to massive increase of the silt in the bed of Ganga and second, the number of fish especially Hilsa (a variety of fish) has gone down.

Third issue is their unease with the presence of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Kahalgaon. At present, the flyash produced by this company has become a major problem as it is creating health hazard. Massive fly ash has converted a long stretch of area into ash pond and the number of cancer cases is rising. Many people are migrating from Kahalgaon due to breathing problem caused by fly ash in the air. It is interesting to note that in the 1980s, the GMA tried its best to stop the construction of NTPC[viii] and now after four decades the GMA-JSS is highlighting the negative aftereffects of this power plant. Fourth, the movement is fighting for the socio-political inclusion of the fishing community. In this region, very few fishermen have identity cards issued by the State govt. and they want an extension of such facility to more local fishermen. The JSS is also fighting to get reservation since it will ensure them better opportunities in education, employment and political representation.

The GMA-JSS has played an important role in uniting the fisherfolk community of the neighbouring districts of Bhagalpur such as Araria, Kishanganj, Munger, Katihar, etc. While the movement achieved success in the abolition of Panidari tax, it has continued with its efforts for the free fishing act to become functional. Every year the celebration of its anniversary remarks their ongoing journey as a struggle. It is unfortunate that the state-led development projects such as construction of power corporations, dams, barrages, etc. often overlook their likely environmental consequences. The decisions related to rivers should be more inclusive in two ways – for the rivers themselves (to stop riverbed encroachment, sand mining, etc.) and second, public consultation (especially the river dependent communities) in policy making and project decisions. Similarly, the monitoring and appraisal of the river related projects as well as their social and environmental impact assessment in a democratic, informed way must be mandatory.

Dr. Ruchi Shree (jnuruchi@gmail.com) is Assistant Professor at the University Department of Political Science, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University (Bihar).

Source: https://sandrp.in/2025/04/29/relevance-of-ganga-mukti-andolan-then-and-now/