Question

Why did the villagers of Tawa Matsya sangh set up this organization

Answer 1

Building of the Tawa dam resulted in the submerging of large areas of forest and agricultural land. Some of the displaced forest dwellers settled around the reservoir and found a new source of livelihood by fishing. The rights of fishing in the Tawa reservoir were given to private contractors by the government in the year 1994. These contractors drove away the local people in order to get cheap labour from outside. At this point the villagers united and decided to set up an organisation for protecting their rights. This led to the formation of the Tawa Matsya Sangh (TMS).