BodhgayaNews

Encroachments demolished in Bodhgaya
4 November 2007, Melbourne, Peter Friedlander. Continued reports are appearing in the Hindi press of actions against encroachments in Gaya and Bodhgaya. This is part of an ongoing attempt by administrations to remove encroachments which have been made on government land. There is also a long history in Bodhgaya of periodic clearances of street traders and demolition of buildings notified as encroachments and the current round is another episode in this history. It is often hard to get an impression from the news articles quite what is really going on at the local level. I am including here some pictures taken by J. A. Rodriquez related to the encroachment clearances in Bodhgaya and subsequent demonstrations against them by local residents, which give impressions of the results of the clearances as seen in Bodhgaya. (all images and captions courtesy of J. A. Rodriquez)


'Rally' - a shot of a sit in to oppose the removal of the streetvendors they day before it occurred. Taken October 14	'Teardown 2' is taken from the south side of the Kalachakra field facing towards where Madras Café, some travel agencies, and the Ram Sewak Tea Corner were located. Taken October 15	'Teardown 5' is also of the remains of a number of travel agencies, Madras Café, and Ram Sewak Tea Corner taken from between the Mahabodhi Society and the Management Committee building. Taken October 15

'Fujiya' is a shot of where Fujiya Green Restaurant was located. The structure had already been dismantled the day before, but police ordered the bulldozer operator to crush the building materials stacked on the side of the road, as well as a still standing retainer wall that was part of the building. Taken October 15	'After1' is a shot of some of the remains of the businesses across from the south wall of the Kalachakra field (Fujiya Green included). Taken October 15	'After 2' is of the northeast corner area between Ram Sewak Tea Corner and the Travel shops. Taken October 15

'After 3' is of the area around the corner to the south from where Fujiya Green stood. Taken October 16	'Mahabodhi1' is from the first protest the day after the bulldozing and removal of all street vendors within 2km of the temple. Taken October 16	This image and those below are of the Peace March that the streetvendors led on October 18 from the circle near the Mahabodhi Society (the same place the rally on the 15th was held). They marched through the area in front of the temple, to the post office, and then back to the circle, where they placed candles around the outside wall and then held a short meeting.