Protests against displacement in Jharkhand

Narmada Invite: 25 Years of Struggle and Reconstruction [4 Attachments]

2010-09-20T07:24:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pervin Jehangir <pjehangir@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Sep 19, 2010 at 12:23 AM
Subject: [IHRO] Fwd: [NAPMConveners] Fwd: Narmada Invite: 25 Years of Struggle and Reconstruction [4 Attachments]

25 years of Struggle and Reconstruction in Narmada Valley

October 22^nd – 23^rd, 2010

Dhadgaon (Mah) and Badwani (M.P.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NARMADA has been a witness to the 25 years long struggle by the communities reared in its laps over generations in the three states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Supported by a large number of individuals and groups across the country, their non-violent and perseverant struggle together grew into Narmada Bachao Andolan. Adivasis in the mountain ranges of Satpuda and Vindhyas, farmers, labourers, fish-workers and potters in the plains of Nimad have stayed put and challenged Sardar Sarovar (SSP), other large dams and massive canals, destroying prime agricultural land, large tracks of forests, rich horticulture and hilly as well as densely populated habitats. The saga that began in 1985 has completed 25 years of the battle which tried to question, not only large dams but lop-sided development, displacement and disparity growing with the presently imposed growth-centric paradigm of development.

Our sangharsh (struggle) through questioning displacement, assertion of land and forest rights, right to fisheries, right to food and health, livelihood security, exposure of corruption and navnirman (reconstruction) through the Jeevanshalas (life schools), micro-hydel projects, and solar projects, with the help of our support groups has continued and progressed through various phases and strategies. Over these years, we have driven away the World Bank and many other international financiers from the valley by 1993, with the help of our global supporters and compelled the governments to rehabilitate thousands of adivasis with land, yet the task is far from complete and the struggle must continue. NBA has also contributed to the building of progressive alliances, especially the National Alliance of People's Movements.

Much water has flown through Narmada in spite of many dams being built at enormous human, social and environmental costs, but the over-estimated benefits remain unattained and the mockery of rehabilitation, replete with crores of rupees worth corruption stands exposed. The undemocratic State using the 'divide and rule' policy, fraudulent nexus of officials-agents, money and market continues to push the destruction, violate laws, manipulate the processes of sanctioning and monitoring, yet the Dam remains stalled at 122 mts and the people continue in the movement mode, taking up challenges through battles in the field as well as courts, from local to Supreme, and surviving the continued betrayal over two decades and more by various governments.

The struggle in SSP is now linked with the assertion of rights by adivasis affected by the Jobat dam in M.P. People in many canal-affected villages across Nimad are also questioning the unjust acquisition of irrigated lands for the canals and serious environmental impacts. The serious violations of environmental laws have been exposed by the Andolan and the MoEF's Expert Committee has also strongly indicted the state governments for gross non-compliance. Lack of political will, however, keeps the Projects alive. The people are also not relenting, and are challenging the impacts of the various large dams in the valley and the struggle for justice is only intensifying.

We, the Adivasis, farmers and others, with activists and all our supporters have to come together and look back and look forward at this juncture of completion of 25 years. It can't be a mere celebration when the sword is still hanging, full justice is still to be achieved, large dams are still being pushed and challenged. We can't even get over our grief since Ashish, Sanjay, Shobha and other colleagues have left us, forever. Yet, we have to take the torch forward … which was lit by them, carried by thousands and thousands of people across the country and beyond borders.

People in the Narmada valley would like to come together with you all who have joined us on the long path during last 25 years at some point during our actions, testing times, crises and victories. All those who worked with us, stood by us, spread the message and extended support are invited to the valley on the occasion of 'Reflections from Narmada : 25 Years and Beyond'.

We will also be planning other initiatives on this occasion that would be carried on through the coming year and would urge you to take forward the message the lead in taking our common struggle in your own areas, regions, countries, institutions, organisations or wherever, in any befitting manner. You will be hearing more from us over the coming weeks. Come, be with us at this opportune moment with your colleagues, comrades and friends.

October 22^nd at Dhadgaon, District Nandurbar, Maharashtra and

October 23^rd at Badwani, District Badwani, Madhya Pradesh.

Reach Dhadgaon on 21^st evening or 22^nd morning and your journey from Dhadgaon to Badwani, through Narmada in boats would be our responsibility. Rallies and public meetings at both the places amidst adivasis of Nandurbar, Alirajpur and farmers from the plains of Nimad would be reinforced with your presence and together, we shall reiterate our commitment to the common cause. As always, you are welcome to come and spend more time with us, work with us, VOLUNTEER WITH US or just travel with us in this journey towards justice.

The events in Narmada on the 22^nd and 23^rd will be followed by the 8^th Bi-annual Convention of National Alliance of People's Movements at Badwani, Madhya Pradesh from October 24^th to 26^th. Do stay on for this important occasion too. The invite for the NAPM Convention is separately attached. Become an ally of NAPM.

Phone: 09179148973 | 09818905316 | 09423571784

E-mail: napmindia@gmail.com | www.napm-india.org |

Please do inform us of your arrival and itinerary, so that we can make adequate arrangements and plan your visit and stay fruitfully. You can reach us by phone or write to us on nba.badwani@gmail.com | 25yearsofnba@gmail.com

In Solidarity,

Surbhan Bhilala	Mohan Patidar	Kailash Awasya	Kamla Yadav	Keshav Vasave
Noorji Padvi	Ranveer Tomar	Bawa Mahariya	Jankibai	Bhagirath Dhangar
Ratan Vasave	Shankar Kagada	Devram Kanera	Shantabai	Siyaram Padvi
Yogini Khanolkar	Chetan Salve	Bhagirath Kavche	Gokhru Barela	Lalchand Patidar
Ramesh Prajapati	Madubhai Machwara	Devendra Tomar	Khema Vesta	Medha Patkar

Contact in Dhadgaon:

Narmada Bachao Andolan, Maitri Niwas, Kakawadi, Dhadgaon, Maharashtra

Ph: 02595-220620; Mob: 09423944390, 09423965152, 09420375730

E-mail: yogini.narmada@gmail.com and vijaya.chauhan@gmail.com

Contact in Badwani:

Narmada Bachao Andolan, 62, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Badwani, Madhya Pradesh – 451551 Ph: 07290-222464. Mob: 09179148973 and 09423965153

E-mail: medha.narmada@gmail.com and nba.badwani@gmail.com |

OTHER CONTACTS

Ø Delhi Forum, New Delhi :011-26680883 / 26680914

Ø Joe Athialy, New Delhi :09868114470

Ø Suniti S R, Pune :09423571784 / 020-24251404

Ø Pervin Jehangir, Mumbai: :09820636335

Ø Vijaya Chauhan, Mumbai :09820236267

Ø Geo Jose / Hussain Master, Kerala :9446000701/ 9445375379

Ø Jacob Vadkanchari, Kerala :09495925799

Ø Philip Mathew, Kerala :09446456616

Ø Chinmay Mishra / Amulya Nidhi, Indore :09893278855 / 09425311547

Ø Sarvodaya Press Service, Indore :0731 – 24010183 (1:30 pm to 6:00 pm)

Ø Rakesh Diwan & Rolly Shivhare, Bhopal : 09424467604 / 09425466461

Ø Manish Manke, Girish Sharma, Manmad : 09822190078

Ø Shyam Patil, Dhule :02562-246419 & 09423496020

Ø Sister Celia / Clifton D Rozario, Bangalore: 09945716052 / 09448135832

Ø Debjit Dutta, Kolkata :09433830031

Ø Ramakrishnan Raju, Hyderabad :09866887299

Ø Gabriele Dietrich, Madurai :09442511292

Ø Prafulla Samantara,Orissa :09437259005

Ø Arundhati Dhuru, Lucknow :09415022772

Ø Swati Desai / Rohit Prajapati, Gujarat :094295561613 / 02652413840

Ø Madhuresh, NAPM :09818905316 / 011 - 24374535

Ø Medha Patkar, NBA & NAPM :0942396515

HOW TO REACH NARMADA

Directions to Reach Dhadgaon

Dhadgaon is a Tehsil amidst Satpudas in Maharashtra. Nearest railhead is Dondaicha (Ahmedabad – Howrah Railway line, 3 hours away), Chalisgaon (Howrah – Mumbai Line, 4.5 hours), Nandurbar or Dhule (3 hours away), Bharuch / Ankaleshwar (4.5 hours away), Manmad, 5 hours). From any of these rail stations come by bus to SHAHADA and then change for Dhadgaon by another state corporation bus or share-taxi.

Route 1: From Mumbai/Pune:

1. Take a bus to Dhule (7 hours) and change for Dhadgaon via Shahada (4 hours). Dhule is on the Mumbai –Indore bus route and lots of buses are available from both places. For bus tickets:

a. www.holidayiq.com

b. www.prasannatours.com

c. http://www.makemytrip.com

d. http://www.redbus.in

Contact National Travels: Ph – 022-25271248 and 9869302066

2. From Mumbai: take a train to Chalisgaon and take a bus to Dhule (1.5 hours) and change for Dhadgaon via Shahada (4 hours). Available trains:

a. Dadar- Dhule Exp: Mumbai (2230)-Dhule (0600) – Direct Train

b. 2139 Sewagram Express: Mumbai (1510 hrs)-Chalisgaon (2015 hrs)

c. 2105 Vidarbha Exp: Mumbai (1910)-Chalisgaon (00350

d. 2809 Howrah Exp: Mumbai (2035)-Chalisgaon (0225)

Route 2: From Chennai:

Reach Nagpur by train. Change for Chalisgaon/Manmad (on Nagpur-Mumbai route – 8/9 hours from Nagpur), take a bus to Dhule (1.5 hours) and change for Dhadgaon (4 hours). You may also locate some direct train to Manmad and reach Dhadgaon via Dhule-Shahada. Some trains:

a. 8030 Shalimar Exp: Nagpur (1315)-Chalisgaon (2215)

b. 2140 Sewagram Exp: Nagpur (2050)-Chalisgaon (0535)

Route 3: From Bangaluru/Hyderabad

1. Reach Manmad by train and take a bus to Dhule and Dhadgaon

a. 2627 Karnataka Exp. Bangalore (1920)-Manmad (1455)

2. You can reach Manmad by Ajanta Express from Secunderabad (departs every day at 6 p.m. and reaches Mammad at 6:30 a.m.) and follow the Dhule-Shahada-Dhadgaon route.

3. Reach Pune by train and follow the directions at Route 1

Route 4: From Keralam:

1. Take Mangla, get down at Manmad, take a bus to Dhule and the change for Dhadgaon

a. 2617 Mangla Lakshadweep Exp: Ernakulam (1300)-Manmad (1735)

2. Reach Pune / Mumbai and follow directions at Route 1

Route 5: From West Bengal:

Reach Manmad by train (on Howrah-Mumbai route) and take a bus to Dhule and change for Dhadgaon

a. 8030 Shalimar Exp: Shalimar (1500)-Chalisgaon (2215)

b. 2810 Mumbai mail: Howrah (2015)-Chalisgaon (2300)

Route 6: From Delhi:

Reach Manmad by train and bus to Dhule and Dhagaon

2618 Mangla Exp. Nizamuddin (0920)-Manmad (0435)

2138 Punjab Mail: New Delhi (0500)-Manmad (0205)

1058 Amristar Dadar Exp. New Delhi (2015)-Manmad (2145)

Route 7: From Ahmedabad / Baroda :

Reach Dondaicha by train and take a bus /Taxi to Shahada and then another bus to Dhadgaon.

a. 2655 Navjeevan Express Dep Ahmedabad 06:30

b. 2833 Howrah Express Dep Ahmedabad 23:55

Directions to Reach Badwani

Badwani is a district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh and is at a distance of 4-6 hours by bus / taxis from Khandwa or Indore (MP), Baroda (Gujarat). There are regular buses from Indore from morning till evening from the main bus stand, one bus in evening at 9 pm from Bhopal new bus stand, from Khandwa buses till 4 pm and from Baroda till 2 pm in the afternoon.

Route 1: From Mumbai / Pune:

1. Mumbai and Pune is well connected with Indore by bus. Almost all of them are overnight buses. For timings/bookings contact the

Contact National Travels: Ph – 022-25271248 and 9869302066

To reach Badwani, you don't go all the way to Indore but get off at Julwania and take a bus to Badwani. Jhulwania – Badwani is 2 hours by road.

2. Mumbai-Indore is also connected by train:

a. 2961 Avantika Exp: Mumbai (1905)-Indore (0920) (Overnight)

Pune-Indore is connected by train as well:

b. 9311 Pune Indore exp (Tu, F, Sa): Pune (1530)-Indore (0950)

From Indore, take a bus to Badwani (5 hours)

Route 2: From Chennai/ Hyderabad:

Reach Bhopal by any train. Take bus / shared taxi to Indore (4 hours) and change for Badwani from Indore. (5 hours by road)

Route 3: From Bangalore/Kerala:

Reach Khandwa by train and take a bus from there to Badwani (5 hours)

a. 2627 Karnataka Exp. Bangalore (1920)- Khandwa (1935)

b. 2617 Mangla Exp: Ernakulam (1300)-Manmad (2240)

Route 4: From West Bengal:

1. There is one direct train to Indore from Howrah

a. 9306 Shipra Exp (M,Th,Sa): Howrah (1740) Indore (0330)

2. Can get down Jalgaon (on Howrah-Mumbai route) and change for Khandwa and from there, take a bus to Badwani (4 hours)

Route 5: From Delhi:

1. 2416 Nizamuddin Indore Exp: Nizamuddin (2215)-Indore (1140) – Direct Train

2. 2920 Malwa Exp: New Delhi (1900) Indore (1240) - Direct Train

Indore to Badwani by bus (5 hours)

--
This Group consists of the NAPM national and state conveners. In addition, it has few active members from different states, NAPM magazine editors, web editors and others.

To post to this group, send email to napmconveners@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
napmconveners+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.co.in/group/napmconveners?hl=en-GB

__._,_.___

Attachment(s) from Pervin Jehangir

4 of 4 File(s)

English Invite to Narmada - 25 Years of Struggle & Reconstruction.pdf

Hindi Invite to Narmada - 25 Years of Struggle and Reconstruction.pdf

Hindi - Directions to reach Badwani and Dhadgaon.pdf

Invite to NAPM - 8th Biennial Convention - Badwani.pdf

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic

Messages in this topic ()

Recent Activity:

Visit Your Group

International Human Rights Organisation (IHRO), of the Indian subcontinent, is a NGO, with national focus and overseas lobby network. It agitates both in India and internationally.

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

__,_._,___

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

Prof. Mohan Bhagat@UMD ate up all the money raised for adivasis :)

"It dose not occur to Balfour to let the Egyptian speak for himself, since presumably any Egyptian who would speak out is more likely to be the "agitator [who] wishes to raise difficulties"

la vie est trop courte pour s'ennuyer :)

The sewer is the conscience of the city.
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, 1862

Al-Cuhal has drowned more men than sea :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

मौन से विस्फोट होता है

Equality maximizes creativity, hierarchy maximizes control...make a choice..

पुरुष का निर्माण यदि पुरुष करे तो वह त्रासक होता है और पुरुष का निर्माण यदि नारी करे तो लड़ाई में वह हार जाता है. समस्या प्रेम की हो अथवा युद्ध की, कठिनाइयाँ सर्वत्र समान हैं!
-दिनकर, उर्वशी से.

Hypocrisy is the act of persistently professing beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that are inconsistent with one's actions. Hypocrisy is thus a kind of lie.

Put your fav hypocrisy pronounced hypocracy (in India) at hypocracy.in .

*************************************************
Good job Pakistan! Keep your female players in Burqa and start taking ours when they are at the top of their game.

We need a theory of BOREDOM-NeuroScientist, Psychologists?!

We also could use a theory of HAPPENING i.e. how and why things happen-Emergent behavior folks??

One Billion overfed and one billion underfed
What we need is a nutrition bridge...

A government is like core of an electric motor, its torque is welfare of its people.

Communicate! It can't make things any worse.
-From Fortune on LINUX

सर्वे गुणाः कांचनं आश्रयन्ति-भर्तृहरि

All the qualities take shelter at gold.
-Bhartrihari

A Russian saying translated in english is correlated-When money talks, the truth is silent.

Visit www.jkmonitor.org www.ijaal.org, www.ijaal.in.

-Priya Ranjan
*********************************************

Industry jitters over profit clause in draft mining bill: Why stop at 26%? Tribals should be partners

2010-09-20T06:05:00.001-07:00

Industry jitters over profit clause in draft mining bill

INDIACSR, 2010-09-20 11:19:46

Print Subscribe in a reader Font Size

Ranchi: It has reported that the existing and prospective industry and mining players of Jharkhand are apprehensive about the draft mining bill, which seeks to make them share 26 per cent of profits with locals. A group of ministers (GoM) approved the draft bill on September 17.

Speaking to a leading newspaper, Jindal Steel & Power Limited's (JSPL) senior deputy general manager (corporate affairs) V.P. Sharan said: "The proposed clause — sharing profits with local people — sounds good as we have been involved in several activities related to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Besides, we have provided jobs to land losers under the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy.

"But many things should be first defined properly with advance consultation with corporate houses and industry representatives. The word 'local' should be defined properly, that is, whether it means only the displaced people or the populace of adjoining area or the state's entire population," he added.

JSPL, owned by Kurukshetra Congress MP Naveen Jindal, has been earmarked an iron ore mine in West Singhbhum and two coal blocks in Santhal Pargana.

Former chief executive officer of JSW Steels Jharkhand Limited R.P. Singh was more vocal in his criticism of the bill in the wake of weak implementation of R&R policy.

"Efforts should be made to first revamp the laggard government machinery so that people can reap the benefits of compensation if they part with their land for mining or industrial projects. Theoretically, things sound good, but they turn murkier on ground," said Singh, who has served in a senior managerial position in state-owned Steel Authority of India Limited, which is not in favour of 26 per cent profit-sharing with locals.

Aditya Birla Group company Hindalco Industries Limited's senior vice-president (corporate affairs) R.P. Sharma said he was yet to go through the details of the draft bill. "I need to first find out the details of the profit-sharing proposal before commenting on this vital issue," he added.

Hindalco owns a majority — over a dozen — of bauxite mines in Lohardaga, Gumla and Latehar districts of the state. The company is in expansion mode and has proposed to come up with a smelter plant in Sonahatu area of Ranchi district.

Notably, a majority of private players have been allotted/earmarked mines for captive purposes, which means they are expected to use the mining products for consumption locally in respective industrial projects as promised in MoUs. There are a few players like Roongtas who sell iron ores in the market without any local value-addition.

Activists fighting for the displaced have been pressing for profit-sharing in mining/industry projects for a long time. However, activist Dayamani Barla expressed doubts over the machinery that would dole out the benefits to real land losers and local people.

"In my opinion, the profit-sharing percentage should go up to 50 per cent and the government should ensure that people, who are really affected by such projects, are benefited," said Barla, who had spearheaded the protest against steel behemoth ArcelorMittal in Khunti-Torpa region.

The draft mining bill, initially approved by the GoM, will need a second nod from the same body before it is sent to the Union cabinet. Thereafter, it will be placed in Parliament, probably during the winter session.

The draft bill will amend the existing Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Act, 1957 and seeks to improve the conditions of tribals, who are affected the most by mining projects.

Tags: Companies CSR Company Bill 2009 JSPL Naveen Jindal

Comments ( 0 Posts) Show

Post Your Comments

Also Read

www.indiacsr.in

Archive

Newsletter

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

Prof. Mohana Bhagat@UMD ate up all the money raised for adivasis :)

"It dose not occur to Balfour to let the Egyptian speak for himself, since presumably any Egyptian who would speak out is more likely to be the "agitator [who] wishes to raise difficulties"

la vie est trop courte pour s'ennuyer :)

The sewer is the conscience of the city.
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, 1862

Al-Cuhal has drowned more men than sea :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

Is HEC really solving problems of adivasis?

2010-09-17T21:23:00.001-07:00

By Dayamani Barla;

Freelance Journalist,

Convener-Adivasi Mulvasi Astitva Rakcha Manch

Jharkhand

For more detailed document with pictures.

The real problems of displaced persons in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand state have not been properly understood by the Heavy Engineering Corporation and the Govt. Officials. The victims of HEC have been struggling for their survival. They are fighting for their inalienable rights. They are demanding JUSTICE, because they have been forcibly and unjustly uprooted from their homeland. They are systematically and methodically being dispossessed of the ownership of their means of production and particularly of the very means of human existence. The Adivasi are deeply concerned for their future, as they are dispossessed of their socio-culture and socio-political autonomy and their community life is being broken up in the name of development. Their cultural values and their social values, their history, their identity is fully depend on Land, Water and forest. It is true that displaced lived in harmonious relationship with their environment. Their culture is closely related to nature. Land, Water and forest are the basic natural resources of their means of livelihood. They have a symbiotic relationship with their resources. By tradition, they are agriculturists. They cannot survive without their lands and forests.

HEC-Secretariat Building.

According to report in 1956 HEC have been acquired 9,500 acres of 16 villages. people displaced due to the establishment of HEC, the first industrial venture undertaken after independence for 'development' of Ranchi, Jharkhand, has not done the proper rehabilitation by either the State Government or the Central Government or by the HEC( Have Engineering Corporation). More than 40,000 Population have been displaced. The displaced Population is not only the Adivasi but Mulvasi like Kurmi Mahto, Rajput, Sahdev (Landlord family) and Muslim communities also displaced. Before acquiring the land, the Government had promised that the people of all the displaced families would be given jobs to generation by generation. To reconstruct their religious, saran-sasandiri, mashan, madir and masjid space would be allocated in each rehabilitated area. In addition, one of the conditions for resettlement was the provision of amenities like schools, hospitals, water and electricity. These conditions have not been fulfilled by the Government till today. Also, no land was given for the masana, hadagadee, sasandiri or churches. Therefore, each displaced family, given between 0.10 and 0.15 decimals of land, has constructed their house. Displaced used one portion of the land as a graveyard to bury their dead. The people have simply made their samana in their own houses, yards, and gardens. Since sarana and akhada have not been made available, the social, cultural, and economic spirit of the adivaasi (tribal) community in the displaced villages has drawn its last breath. The people are being compelled to forget their language, culture, traditional festival and celebrations, as well as customs and practices.

The HEC (Heavy Engineering Corporation) was set up in the Hatiya region in 1956 with collaboration from Russia and Germany. Land from 16 villages was appropriated for this project. The people living in these villages belonged to the Orano, Munda and Khadia adivaasi tribes as well as to communities such as sadan, turi, lohra, kumhar and ghaansi. After being uprooted from their farms, fields, forests, lands, homes and yards, the displaced were not resettled in a single region as they used to live before. People from a single village were 'scattered' haphazardly in several spots. The Government had no model policy for resettlement. That is why, to build the resettlement villages, some villages were given 0.10 decimals of land, some, 0.20 decimals and others, 0.25 decimals All the displaced were not given the equal land for resettlement.

The people of the displaced villages Naya Latama, Choreya Toli, Satranji, Naya Saray, Kute, Bhusur, Ladeb, Tiril, Jagaranathpur, Aani, Modama, Nachiyatu, and Kachnartoli say that the Government had talked about giving jobs to each displaced family generation after generation. But the reality is just the opposite. Each displaced family did not receive employment. Let alone the matter of giving employment to the entire family goes, if in the beginning one member of a family was given a job at all, then a second member of the family was not given a job after that. The Government had also promised that young men or women of employable age from all families that would be given training at CTI and then employed in the Plant. The displaced people said that some young men and women were given a chance to avail this opportunity. But, they say that now the villages of the displaced are mired in fundamental problems of unemployment, poverty, illness, Drinking Water and lack of education. The stranglehold of unemployment had forced the displaced people to flee to other States. Mangtu Oraon and Champa Oran, Snatosh Mahto, pusha lakra told that more than hundreds families have left the village many years ago in search of a livelihood.

Mahali Oran and Vishu Paahan told us that Latma was the first village to be displaced by HEC, and each family was given 0.20 decimals of land to establish the village of Naya (new) Latma. They informed us that since the settlement of this village was the first task undertaken, the village was provided with a hadagadee, sarana and masana. However, no arrangements were made for water, school, hospital, electricity and other amenities. Today90-95 displaced families live in Naya Latma. The population now would be around 900, of which 95% people make a living as manual labor or rickshaw puller . The displaced folk of Choreya Toli were given 0.10 decimals of land per family and resettled in Naya Choreya Toli. A total of 70 families now live here. Saroj Tamba and Ratani Oran tell us that in the terms of facilities of sarna, masana, hadagadee, akhada, water and wells, electricity, and hospital, the Government has not given them anything at all. According to them, since there is no cremation ground, the dead are cremated on the banks of the river though cremation is not a practice in adivasi culture. Most people have made masana in their yards and gardens itself and bury their dead in these 'graveyards'. The people told us that a sarana spot has also not been established in this village. Due to this, they are unable to celebrate the Sarhul pooja, people just worship and perform the pooja in their own homes itself though this used to be traditionally done in the sarana. (spiritual place, basically it is the part of forest)

Only the Munda family remains in Choreya Toli. Budhva Munda, the Assistant Secretary of the Munda Regional Pahada Committee says "the sarana-sasandiri and akhada are the centers of the spiritual and cultural of society but the sarana-sasandiri has completely vanished since the displacement. Due to the unavailability of the masana-sasandiri, we are unable to worship and offer other services (ghar devati) to the souls of our ancestors". For the record, historically, the identity of the Munda aadivaasis (Khontkatidaar) was based on the sarana-sasandiri. Birsa Munda said that the Government had talked about giving jobs to the displaced families, but the young men and women from the displaced families are scouring around for jobs. He said that some family ( not to all) only one person in a family was given a job, but that is just not enough to run a family. Not only this, when an employed person retired, another member from that family was not given a job. Consequently, once the employed person retired, his family once again became displaced from their livelihood. Today 99% of the people of Choreya Toli are manual laborers, scrap collectors, rickshaw puller, made servant, kully and raja.

This is the family of sukhlal Lohara, they have more four brothers , Atwa Lohra, Udit Lohra, sukhdev Lohara, Kartik Lohara, such a small house five members are living.(photo by me on 2 august 2010) Naya Sarai- Resettlement colony.

The displaced women do reja. Some women wash the dirty dishes at homes of the rich folk in the towns of Hatiya and Ranchi. Some women are callecting ghaans-pora and sell it market. while some sell hadiya (rice beer ) on the roadside to run their families. Saroj Tamba says that now it has become very difficult to educate the children as the good schools have raised their fees enormously. Charva Munda of Naya Naachiyaatu said "Before the resettlement, the Government had promised arrangements of sarana, masana, akhada, schools, water, electricity and such amenities, but none of these have been provided". The displaced folk tell us "There are 70-75 displaced families in Sataranji ,Naya Naachiyaatu. The Government has not provided sarana-masana. Due to a lack of sarana, the people are not able to celebrate the Sarhul festival that is associated with Nature. Since a designated masana burial place was not available, people started burying their dead in a piece of vacant government-owned land next to their settlement. But the Forest Department put a stop to this. Due to this, a dispute is currently underway between the displaced people and the Forest Department. The people of the region were give to 0,20 decimals for per Family to resettlement.

This is the Family of Chkeya kachap, they have for sons, Dhuna kachap, Narku Kachap, Matun Kachap and Sukra Kachap. Total 18 members are living in this house. they resettled by the HEC in Naya Satranji . (photo by me on 2 Ausgust 2010) Charawa informed us that very few people from the displaced community were given jobs. Not just that, once an employed person retired, another member from that family was not given a job. Charawa say "We have been evicted from our fields and land and converted directly into coolies and daily laborers". The family of Somara Lohara has been displaced from Bhusur village and now lives in Naya he is a rickshaw pullar. Somara said "We are four brothers. The eldest is Jagarnath, who was given a job in HEC in the place of my late father". The other three– Somara, Shahdev and Bhanu – are pulling rickshaws to support their families. Somara adds "The factories took away the lands and fields, and in exchange we got not enough land to live in Naya Sarai. The only life-support we have left to us now is pulling a rickshaw and manual labor or scrap dealing". Worried about the children's education Somara says "The children are being educated in Government Schools: classes there are held sometimes, and sometimes not".

There were nearly 90 families in Jagarnath village; they have been displaced and resettled in Latma, Sataranji, Hinoo and Naya Saraay. Triloki Rajvar, who was appointed as a Security Guard in HEC in 1961 and retired in 1996, says "Before annexing the lands, the displaced people were assured that in exchange for their source of livelihood, they would be provided a job generation after generation. The officials had also promised us this that if our children were capable, they would be given jobs". The 85-year old Rajvar says, "I got compensation for the land, I got a job also, but my son did not get anything". The Rajvar family, settled in Naya Saray, told us that the Government gave each family 0.20 decimals of land for resettlement. Land was given for a masana burial or cremation ground, but some people have appropriated that land and are using it for farming. Land has been given for an akhada for Ramnavmi Zanda. On the other hand, no provisions were made for amenities such as water, electricity, schools and hospitals. At present, there are six or seven Rajvar families, of which only one family has an employed person.

Dhanenath Munda was employed as a Grade IV worker in HEC in 1962. He retired in 1994. Dhanenathji says, "We are three brothers – Dashrath (now deceased), Zhubra and Dhanenath. We received only 0.10 dismil of land to build a house. Today the late Dashrath has two sons, Dhanenath has three sons and Zhubra has three sons". One of Dashrath's sons is employed but all sons of Zhubra and Dhanenath are wandering around searching for jobs. Dhanenath has purchased 0.20 decimals of land for his sons where they live in a small room they have constructed. With an aching heart he says "Our lands have been taken by the HEC for the factory, and we were given 0.10 decimals of land. The family has grown. How can such a big family live on 0.10 decimals of land?. Therefore we had to purchase land to construct a house". Hari Prasad and Lutka Baitha are brothers. Hari Prasad said, "HEC took away all the land of our family, which was more than five acres. As compensation, the two brothers were given jobs, and a sum of 70 thousand rupees and 0.10 decimals of land. Today Hari Prasad has two sons and Lutka has five sons. All sons of both brothers are unemployed at present. Hari Prasad said "Now the whole family has to live on this 0.10 decimals of land for their entire lives. Our grandchildren also have to live on this land". When asked "How will you live, what will you eat?" he says, "What can we say, this is the biggest problem. In Mudma, land was taken from eight or ten Baitha families, they are also in the same situation".

This is the resettlement colony in Naya Satranji . it is only 4 killi mitar distance from HEC Plant . but this colony has not provided till date, the power, drinking water, no school, no hospital, no road.

Lalbrajeshwar of Kute has three sons: the eldest son Arun has been working in HMBP as a laborer in the Supply Department for the past 14 years. Arun said that in the beginning, he was earning rupees 500 per month as salary, and today, in 2006, he gets 2,600-2,700 per month. In other words, he gets rupees 85 per day. Arun says that he has been working away as temporary labor – there is no hope at all of getting a permanent post. His younger brother is a teacher in Senha, and the youngest brother is working in a pole factory in private factory . Arun said that the Government had said that the sons of displaced fathers would be given jobs, but not one son was given a job by HEC. Prem Prakash Sahdev, also of Kute, has been working in the Supply Department of the HEC forge plant since 2005. He said that though he is technically qualified, HEC has not given him a permanent post and he is toiling away as daily labor, and earning a monthly salary at the rate of Rs. 104 per day. Five youth from Kute are working in the Supply Department. He told us that it did not matter that he was educated, because as he was in the labor force, he has to operate the trolleys and even wield the broom. He told us that all the people employed in Supply were employed by a contractor, not HEC directly.

As far as the matter of cash compensation is concerned, the displaced were given upto Rs. 60 thousand for five acres. Land was given to construct a house on which the displaced had to construct a house at their own cost, and make their own arrangements for water. Looking at the condition of the displaced, what one can say is this – "Whatever land was given to them in lieu of their land, whatever amount of money was given as compensation, it was given in exchange for destruction of their community, their financial and cultural existence and their entire livelihood. What the displaced people have received as the gift of compensation is homelessness, poverty, unemployment, lack of education, illness, and forced migrants. Every resettlement colonies story is same. There is big question the displaced family not got the legal ownership on that land, which has been given in the name of resettlement.

How Can We Hope For Better INDIA?(photo by me) on 2 August 2010

During acquire the land by farmers HEC gave paid Rs. 3500 per acre as the cost. Total 8,500 acre land has been enquired. Out of 8,500 acres HEC have used only 5,000 acres. Surplus land near about 3,500 acres. These surplus land have been illegally enquired by outsider. As per the Company act, theses surplus land have been returned back to the original tenants or owner of Land. But State Gov. and HEC management now became the Broker of Land. They sold the land to private institution at the rate of 58 Lukas per acre. Other hand displaced peoples are fighting against the Management and Govt. to returned these land to the tenants since last 30 year.

The most important question today is this: 10 years have been completed since the establishment of Jharkhand as a separate State. State have seen the seven CM and two times Governor's rule. The NDA and UPA Government of the State has made many policies for the wealthy and mighty capitalists to develop Jharkhand, but, it has not formulated the policy for the resettlement or improvement of the condition of the six million people displaced in the name of development since Independence of India. On the other hand, the State Government has signed MOU agreements with 101 big MNC's to give them land, water, forest and hills for establishes the plant, minis, Dam act. If Govt. will allow all the company to invest their capital for Industrialization in Jharkhand, then Not a signal inches of Land, forest will be remain in Farmers, adivas's hand. Here want to that State has only 79,741 KM. here need to mention that, out of these 101 Companies, 98 Companies are Steel Makar. And all the MOU's Company is mining base company. All company need coal block, iron ore, river for dam, land for steel plant, land for power plant , land for road, land for urban and other facilities. This will accelerate the displacement not only the population but will displaced the Environment, forest, agriculture, water bodies, and hall ecosystem.

By Dayamani Barla;

Freelance Journalist,

Convener-Adivasi Mulvasi Astitva Rakcha Manch

Jharkhand

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

Prof. Mohana Bhagat@UMD ate up all the money raised for adivasis :)

"It dose not occur to Balfour to let the Egyptian speak for himself, since presumably any Egyptian who would speak out is more likely to be the "agitator [who] wishes to raise difficulties"

la vie est trop courte pour s'ennuyer :)

The sewer is the conscience of the city.
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, 1862

Al-Cuhal has drowned more men than sea :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

National Consultation on the Proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and

2010-09-13T20:34:00.001-07:00

Posted by: "Vijayan M.J." vijayan@delhiforum.net

Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:15 am (PDT)

Friends,

Kindly find the English invite below to the National Consultation. Keeping
in mind the importance of these issues now, prior to the next parliament
(winter) session, we hope you will make an effort to attend the National
Consultation in Delhi on the 23rd of September 2010. It will be held at ISI,
Delhi.

Regards,

*National Consultation on the Proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill
and *

*Resettlement & Rehabilitation Bill (draft)*

*September 23, 2010, Indian Social Institute, New Delhi*

New Delhi, September 7

Dear Comrades / Friends / Colleagues,

Greetings !

Struggles against Land Acquisition have in fact become the most common
phenomenon of our times. People across the country have been opposing
efforts by the state and corporates to dispossess and displace them from the
natural resources, esp land and forests, they possess. Movements have been
also struggling to retaining the right over the land they have occupied,
resisted attempts at evictions or displacements due to large infrastructure
projects, submergence by dams or deprivation / landlessness by any means.
The demand for a comprehensive Development planning legislation, that will
not have forced displacement has been ongoing for close to two decades now.
Despite that, there has never ever been a serious effort by the Government
to bring about a national legislation that will replace the colonial Land
Acquisition Act nor bring about a new era where people will not be made
oustees in their own land.

There has been numerous consultations, meetings, dialogues, demonstrations
in Delhi and all across the country however, the government has failed to
address the genuine concerns in all these years. In the wake of the recent
protests by farmers against unjust acquisition of land in Aligarh, Uttar
Pradesh, there has been again a vociferous demand made by different
political parties to bring in the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, and
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill.

However, it needs to be noted that the agitation by farmers in Aligarh and
elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh are not isolated incidents. Struggles against
unjust land acquisition have been intensifying across the country. The only
response of the government has been a brutal suppression of these struggles
using its police force. In July this year, the Government of Andhra Pradesh
fired at, killing three persons, and lathi-charged hundreds of peaceful
protesters in the Sompeta Mandal of Srikakulm district, who were resisting
the forcible and unjust acquisition of land for the 2640 MW thermal plant by
Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd. In mid August then private goons of
Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. beat-up villagers who were peacefully protesting
the forcible acquisition of land, in Tapranga, Raigarh district of
Chhattisgarh, by the company for coal mining. There are innumerable
instances of such acts of harassment, exploitation, dispossession all across
the country. In the whole adivasi belt of central India, land acquisition is
being masqueraded by anti-movements repression and the infamous 'Operation
Greenhunt'.

The Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Bill were tabled by the UPA government during the winter session of 2007 and
just a day before the monsoon session of 2009 ended. Introduced purportedly
to strike a balance between the 'need for land for development' and other
purposes and protecting the interests of the persons whose lands are
statutorily acquired, both the Bills in fact facilitate the handing over the
land, rivers, forests, minerals to the big corporations, both public and
private, for mining, big dams, thermal, nuclear and other power projects,
SEZs, etc., without effectively addressing the fundamental issues that have
been raised by the resistance movements that are raging across the country.
If enacted, both the Bills will have far reaching impact on the lives on
millions of people across the country, their livelihood and access to
natural resources—land, water and forests.

*The issues of both Land Acquisition and Resettlement and Rehabilitation
have been discussed and debated for several years now.* The government has
brought forth several policies, especially on the latter issue. *However no
process of thorough stock taking has yet been initiated by the government.* In
fact even the most basic information, which is crucial for determining the
areas and direction in the laws and policies that need to be formulated and
amended, is not available.

*The earlier consultations by several civil society groups and movements
culminated in a draft that was later used by the National Advisory Council
to form the basis for the 'National Development, Displacement and
Rehabilitation Bill', which was passed by the NAC in 2006.* Since then the
draft remained pending with the Central Cabinet on the excuse that there
were questions and barriers to be faced and clarified, before it could get
its sanction. Further, the present draft Bills were introduced in complete
negation of this draft and the consultations with people's movements and
groups at different levels.

*We do hope you will be able to join us for a National Consultation on
September 23rd, Thursday, at Indian Social Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi
with your colleagues in the movements and groups so that we can discuss all
these issues in detail and work on a better draft of the Comprehensive Act.*

* *

* *

In solidarity,

* *

*Ashok Chaudhary, Prafulla Samantara, Medha Patkar, Gautam Bandopadhyay,
Sandeep Pandey, Anil Chaudhary, Dr. Sunilam, Ajit Jha, Dayamani Barla, Guman
Singh, Mamata Kujur, Simpreet Singh, Roma, Vimalbhai, Rajendra Ravi, Anand
Mazgaonkar, Bhupendra Singh Rawat, Vijayan M J, Madhuresh Kumar and
others... *

*Delhi Contact*: 6/6, Jangpura B, New Delhi – 110014; Mob: 9818905316/
9582862682

Ph: 011- 26680883/26680914; Email: napm.madhuresh@gmail.com;
bipincc@gmail.com

--
Regards,

Vijayan MJ

Delhi Forum
F-10/12 (GF), Malviya Nagar,
New Delhi INDIA - 110017
Phones: + 91-11-26671556 (Direct),
26680914/883 Fax:26687724
Emails: vijayan@delhiforum.net, delhiforum@delhiforum.net
Web: http://updatecollective.wordpress.com/
http://delhisolidaritygroup.wordpress.com/

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

The sewer is the conscience of the city.
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, 1862

Al-Cuhal has drowned more men than sea :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

Humbling feeling and a sense of responsibility to help our adivasi friends in Kiriburu and Meghatuburu

2010-09-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Amazing welcome by Adivasi community in Kiriburu and Megahatuburu

2010-09-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

Priya Ranjan in Kulda village of Torpa Block along with Dayamani Barla and her collaborators

2010-09-10T09:09:00.001-07:00

Picture from Dayamani Barla's Dharna

2010-09-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

Dayamani Barla's meeting with HEC displaced kids

2010-09-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

A picture from 27 august 2010-dharna in Ranchi

2010-09-05T10:05:00.001-07:00

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies
Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

Orissa coaches tribal students to compete in competititve tests

2010-09-05T01:20:00.001-07:00

Orissa coaches tribal students to compete in competititve tests
http://sify.com/news/orissa-coaches-tribal-students-to-compete-in-competititve-tests-news-education-kjfm4ceagee.html

2010-09-05 12:30:00

Orissa, which has the second highest tribal population in the country, will start high-tech coaching progammes from next month exclusively for its tribal students to help them compete in tough competitive examinations.

The state government plans to enroll about 1,000-1,500 students of Class 10 and 11 from 19 state-run tribal schools located in the interior areas for the programme. Sanjeev K. Chadha, director of the state Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department, said tribal students who are not enrolled in tribal schools would also be given the training later.

'Two special classrooms would be set up in government-run higher secondary tribal schools as most of the schools are primarily residential. The schools will be equipped with computers, projectors and liquid crystal display (LCD) boards,' Chadha told IANS.

Students will be provided around 300 hours of coaching by high-quality teachers and instructors, physically or through online and video conferencing. The programme will cost about Rs.3 crore every year, Chadha said, adding that the coaching sessions will include in-depth coverage of all the concepts of physics, chemistry and mathematics.

The project will help students to look beyond industrial training institutes and encourage them to appear in competitive examinations.

The students would be prepared for examinations like the All India Engineering Entrance Examination, (AIEEE), Orissa Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) and the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE), he said.

'We have already issued a tender to find out a good engineering coaching institute that would provide us the study material. We are likely to finalise this within the next few days,' he said.

'Since the Classes 10 and 11 are located mostly in interior areas and primarily residential, satellite technology will be used to train the students,' said Chadha.

Orissa has the second biggest tribal population in the country. The state has a population of over 36 million, of which more than eight million are tribals, according to the 2001 census. The Scheduled Tribe population is 22.13 percent of the state's total population.

The percentage of literacy among the Scheduled Tribes is 37.37 against the general literacy level of 63.8 percent . When it comes to functional literacy, the percentage is even lower.

The SC/ST Welfare Department will identify students who have the necessary academic background and basic ideas of Class 10-level physics, chemistry and mathematics, he said.

The department will assess the instructors for each school, a minimum of one instructor each for physics, chemistry and mathematics, he said.

The instructors will be assessed for their ability to facilitate classroom coaching and clear the doubts of students on the subjects, he said.

(Jatindra Dash can be contacted at jatindra.d@ians.in)

All About: National,Education,Orissa

Comments | Share | Print | Rate

More Headlines

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

A report by Mrs. Dayamani Barla from Bero Block where government is going illegal

2010-08-27T03:11:00.001-07:00

रांची जिला के बेड़ो प्रखंड के गाडगांव और टेंगरिया गांव में 'जान देगें अपने- पूर्वजों की जमीन नहीं देगें' का यह नारा 2008 में पावर ग्रिड काॅरपोरेषन आॅफ इंडिया लिमिटेड के द्वारा किसानों की करीब 90 एकड़ रैयती जमीन अधिग्रहण के खिलाफ पहली बार गुंजा था। दो सालों से सर्घषरत जनता अब कमर कस चुकी है कि किसी भी कीमत में रैयती खेती की जमीन को अधिग्रहण नहीं करने दिया जाएगा। जमीन नहीं देने का विरोध स्थानीय किसान लिखित रूप में लगातार बेड़ो अंचल अधिकारी, प्रखंड विकास पदाधिकारी बेडा़े, डी सी रांची, राज्यपाल, अपर समाहर्ता रांची, वरीय अभियंता पावर ग्रीड काॅरपोरेषन आॅफ इंडिया लि0 अषोक नगर रांची आदि सभी संबंधित अधिकारियों को देकर करते आ रही है। बावजूद इसके पावर ग्रीड के लिए जमीन अधिग्रहण की प्रकिया को सरकार, दलाल तथा पावर ग्रीड के अधिकारी आगे बढ़ाने की कोषिष कर रहे हैं। दूसरी ओर ग्रामीणों ने संकल्प लिया है कि जान देगें लेकिन खेती की जमीन पावर ग्रीड के लिए नहीं देगें। चैंकाने वाली बात तो हैं कि ग्रामीणों ने पावर ग्रीड के लिए विकाल्प में क्षेत्र की अनउपयुक्त भूखंड में तीन विकल्प भी दिये हैं। जमीन भी चिन्हित कर अधिकारियों को दिखाया गया हैं। बावजूद अधिकारी खेती की जमीन को ही अधिग्रहण करने पर तुले हुए हैं। यह पूरी तरह से किसान और जनविरोधी काम करने की कोषिष की जा रही है।

करीब 150 किसान 26 जुलाई 2010 को रांची के उपायुक्त श्री कमल किषोर सोनजी से मिल कर अनुरोध किये कि-पावर ग्रीड के लिए खेती की जमीन नहीं ली जाए, हम विकल्प दे रहे हैं, उस पर विचार किया जाए। गाडगांव के 77 किसानों ने तथा टेंगरिया के 54 किसानों ने प्रस्तावित ग्रीड क्षेत्र में आने वाले अपने जमीन का प्लोट ना0 रकबा सहित लिखित विरोध पत्र श्री सोन साहब को सौंपे। उपायुक्त महोदय ने अष्वासन दिया था कि-इस मुददे पर जरूर वे विचार करेगें। 4 अगस्त को उपायुक्त श्री कमल किषोर सोनजी से फोन पर इस संबंध में पूछने पर कि आप इस पर क्या निर्णय ले रहे हैं। इन्होंने बताया कि मैंने पावर ग्रीड वालों को पत्र लिखा है कि गा्रमीणों ने जो विकल्प दे रहे हैं उस पर विचार किया जाए। डी सी साहब ने बताया कि अभी इसका उत्तर नहीं आया है। उत्तर का इंतजार कर रहे हैं इसके बाद देखना है कि क्या करना होगा।

विदित हो कि राज्य के रांची जिला में बेड़ो, भरनो, मांडर प्रखंड कृषर््ीि के क्षेत्र में प्रगतिषील ईलाका माना जाता है। यह भी सच है कि इस ईलाके के किसानों द्वारा पैदा की गयी सब्जी झारखंड के साथ देष के अन्य राज्यों में भारी मात्रा में भेजा जाता है। सब्जी बाजार में यहां का आलू, अदरक, प्याज, लहसुन, मिर्जा, सहित तमाम प्रकार की हरी सब्जीयां मिलेगें। इसके साथ ही इस ईलाके में कृषर््ीि उपज के नाम पर गेंहु, मकाई, सरसों, धान, मंडुआ, अरहर, उरद, गोड़ा, सभी खेती की जाती है। यह क्षेत्र झारखंड के नक्से में कृषर््ीि के क्षेत्र में विषेष जगह बना लिया हेै। इस ईलाके के किसनों ने यह साबित कर दिखाया है कि सरकार के सहयोग के बिन भी किसान अपना विकास कर सकते हैं, देष को आनाज खिला सकते हैं। विदित हो कि इस ईलाके के किसान अपने परंपारिक खेती-बारी के ज्ञान-विज्ञान पद्वति से ही खेती करते हैं। सिंचाई के लिए जगह जगह पझरा डोभा, पूसा बना कर रखते हैं। जिससे सिंचाई की जाती है। यह पूसा-डोभा एक-दो फुट चैड़ाई का कच्चा कुंआ होता है। किसानों के मेहनत से आयी हरियाली राहगिरों को अनायाष ही अपने ओर खिंच लेता है। दुर तक फैली हरियाली को आप देख सकते हैं लेकिन कहीं भी कुंआ, पोखर नहीं देख आप का मन मिजाज हैरान होगा कि आखिर खेतों को पानी कहां से मिल रहा है। साल में दो फसल किसान पैदा करते हैं। किसानों का यह कृषर््ीि पद्वति में यदि थोड़ी सुधार की जाए तो झारखंडी आनाज के मामले में कभी गरीब नहीं होगें।

जहां पावर ग्रीड बनानंे की योजना चल रही है वहीं बगल से एक जिंदा नाला बह रहा है। जो 12 माह बहते रहता है। नाला के दोनों ओर किसान सालों भर खेती करते हैं। गर्मी के दिनों भी नाला का दोनों किनारा हर तरह की सब्जी पटा रहता है। गाडगांव, टेंगरिया सहित अगल-बगल के किसानों को चिंता है कि यदि यहां पावर ग्रीड बनता है तो इनकी खेती किसानी पर प्रतिकूल असर पडेगा। 28 जुलाई को किसानों ने जमीन अधिग्रहण के विरोध में प्रस्तावित ग्रीड क्षेत्र में ही सभा किये। सभा में लोगों ने अरोप लगाया कि गांव के ग्राम प्रधान गांव को बेचने में तुले हुए हैं। वे दलालों के साथ पावर ग्रीड रैयती-खेती जमीन पर बैठाने के लिए लोगों को बरगलाने में जुटे हैं। सभा में मंगरा उरांव, जकरियस बेक, मंगल उरांव, बिरसा उरांव, नाथु भगत, हाबिल कच्छप, सुखदेव भगत, मकसुद आलम, पैरो उरांव, जमुना उरांव, सुमन उरांव, डांगो उरांव आदि मुख्यरूप से थे। सभा ने एकजुट हो कर संघर्ष करने की घोषणा की।

दयामनी बरला

4 अगस्त 10

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

यद्यपि सुवर्णमयी लक्ष्मण लंका मयि ना रोचते

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

Mittal is at it again

2010-02-21T17:09:00.001-08:00

Arcelor Mittal

Ashis Sinha
Bokaro, 21 February 2010

Expressing deep concern over to establish a 'mega' steel project in Jharkhand Steel king Arcelor Mittal chosen huge land at Kasmar block under Bokaro districts, told the general manager P S Prasad of the project.

Today in 'Ormo' village of Kasmar block, company officials held a meet for acquisition of land along with villager and government officials. More than 2000 villager were participated in the meet and kept their demands including employment and compensations before the company officials.

On the move to establish its steel unit at Kasmar Mittal officials marked the land of the village Jarutand, Lukkaya, Kojram, Bemrotand, Ormo, Hanslata, Vedotand, Purabtand, Charakpakhna, Kushlaguj including others, informed Amand Mahato a villager of Ormo.

Though land acquisition is the major problem in Jharkhan to establish a unit. Earlier the land earmarked for the mega projects belonged to the adivasis and the State had absolutely no control over it. Moreover the State had absolutely no clear cut policy on rehabilitation program.

The local tribal leaders added further fuel to the fire by instigating the ill literate villagers against selling their 'ancestral' land to the multi national companies. The State government remained a mute spectator with no initiation whatsoever to end the deadlock.

Earlier in the month of June last year villagers in Khuti and Gumla districts have turned an agitated lot over the plans to set up a steel plant by multinational steel giant Arcelor Mittal.

Arcelor Mittal has identified 11,000 acres of land overlapping the districts of Khuti and Gumla to set up a 12 million tonne steel plant.

"If the company acquires our land, we would die struggling for it. We will further lose our identity, society religion and our natural resources," alleged Labda Topno, Pradhan of Banai Toli village.

Expressing deep concern over the natural resources in the region being adversely affected, there would be a threat to the evergreen environment D Barla, Convenor of the Anti-Displacement Forum has alleged that the Government's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Mittal will displace hundreds of thousands of villagers from the region comprising over 40 villages, located in and around the proposed project.

"This fight is to save the environment and the villagers' life. There are water resources here on which Mittal's steel plant is going to come up and he would be acquiring all rights on it which are against the local people's interests and livelihood of thousands of families," said Barla.

The steel major had signed an MoU with the Jharkhand government in 2005 to set up a 12 million tonne greenfield steel plant with an investment of Rs.40,000 crore (Rs.400 billion/$8 billion). Mittal steel authorities say that the Jharkhand project's estimated cost is swelling due to delay.

Arcelor Mittal has already been allocated coal blocks and iron ore mines. Now it needs land to set up the plant. It plans to set up the plant on an 11,000-acre plot in the bordering areas of Khuti and Gumla districts. The villagers are protesting the land acquisition.

Due to land acquisition problem, Mittal and other major steel players are finding it difficult to set up plants.

Official sources informed that Jharkhand signed 71 MOUs (Actually the government had signed 74 MOUs till date, but three MOUs were cancelled as the signatories were not interested) with an investment of Rs 3,95,000 core with the private players to set up industrial projects in the state under the industrialization and development.

It is a sad fact that only 13 among those have seen the light of the day amounting to just fewer than 900 crores of Rupees all these years as against the estimated investment of tens of thousands of crores, while another 10 would tentatively launch during the next financial year.

Though, most of the mega projects on the anvil, met with similar fate.

Negligence of political leaders to undertake development work had given extremists an opportunity to establish their base in the state. Extremists have a presence in 18 of the 24 districts of the state. The contractors engaged in the execution of government and private sector projects in the rural areas had to face threats by the extremists if they refused to pay 'protection money'.

Presently, in absence of clear-cut industrial policy, single window system and a land bank, investors are in snag.

EOM
Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

*************************************************
One Billion overfed and one billion underfed
What we need is a nutrition bridge...

Communicate! It can't make things any worse.
-From Fortune on LINUX

सर्वे गुणाः कांचनं आश्रयन्ति-भर्तृहरि

All the qualities take shelter at gold.
-Bhartrihari

A Russian saying translated in english is correlated-When money talks, the truth is silent.

Charvak is great!
मजबूरिओं ने हजारो फ़रिश्ते बनाये हैं !
*********************************************

Anti-Mittal protest spills onto road

2010-01-31T20:23:00.001-08:00

Anti-Mittal protest spills onto road

The land identified include community-owned natural resources as rivers, streams, forests, hills covering 10 villages in the Kamdarra block of Gumla. "This is a sheer repression of the rights of the tribals and the native inhabitants of the village. These villages are covered under the fifth schedule of the constitution, whereby the villagers enjoy traditional rights over such land," shot back Barla.

Moushumi Basu | Ranchi

In a show of strength, Adivasi Moolvaasi Asthitva Raksha Manch (AMARM) protested against the proposed 12-MTPA steel plant in the State by the world steel giant ArcelorMittal. The protestors carrying banners, placards machetes, bow and arrow, and axe marched their way to the Circle office in Kamdara under Gumla district on Thursday. The march was led by vociferous tribal activist Dayamani Barla.

The event assumes significance as it comes in the wake of the new Soren-led Government taking charge of the State. This was also followed by the recent meeting of the top brasses with the Chief-Minister, representing the world steel giant, in the State capital. It is also worthy to note that the successful show of strength could take place regardless of the fact that Paulus Surin has recently won from the neighbouring Torpa Assembly with a convincing margin of over 15,000 votes.

Also, Chief Minister Shibu Soren too had recently assured Vijay Bhatnagar, CEO ArcelorMittal, of expediting their process of land acquisition, for their proposed steel plant of 12 MTPA in the twin districts of Khunti and Gumla, involving an investment of above Rs 40,000 crores. The MoU was signed with the State Government in 2005. However, the steel baron is yet to make headway in the State following hurdles in land acquisition.

The Circle office in Kamdara was heavily crowded with the protestors from the villages around Kamdara in Gumla shouting slogans outside the office for more than three-four hours. "We will not part with an inch of our land…. Mittal Go back… We want grains and not iron…" shouted the protestors.

According to Barla, the rally was a part of the pre-scheduled programme, whereby the Assistant Collector had promised to meet them.

"He has, however, cheated us and failed to appear as per his commitment," she asserted. However, later an eight point memorandum was handed to SDO Alok Shikari Kachchap. The members protested tooth and nail against the sale of 1025 acres of land by the Gumla district administration.

The organisation demanded the immediate abrogation of such deeds where Mittals have been made raiyats (owners). "We would question the administration on the action taken by it on our demands, whose memoranda were submitted to the administration earlier," said Barla.

The land identified include community-owned natural resources as rivers, streams, forests, hills covering 10 villages in the Kamdarra block of Gumla. "This is a sheer repression of the rights of the tribals and the native inhabitants of the village. These villages are covered under the fifth schedule of the constitution, whereby the villagers enjoy traditional rights over such land," shot back Barla.

Further, Section 46 of CNT Act clearly states that such land bearing natural resources are community land and cannot be touched without the consent of Gaon Sabha, pointed out the vociferous Barla. This has also been provided for in Khatiyan Part-2. "We will not part with even an inch of our land", reiterated the members.

It is in small, stray, isolated patches to the tune of 5 dismil, 10 dismil here and there crossing the village fields, Sarna Sthal, Sasandaris etc. Government does not consider it necessary to even refer the issue to the respective village committees. The officers come on their own and delineate the land, as though it is no man's land, she added

Meanwhile, their other demands include respecting the rights of Gaon Sabha and the transaction of the so-called Government land be stopped immediately. The provisions of the CNT Act should not be violated at any cost. The displacement of Adivasis and native population be stopped and the waters of the traditional rivers of the region, Koel, Karo and Chata be supplied to the farmers for the development of both agriculture and environment. The corporate companies would not be allowed to be made owners of their land.

--
Priya Ranjan, Practicing Ph.D. in Internet Technologies

Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

Dhurwa tense as CISF jawans clash with displaced people.

2010-01-17T01:27:00.001-08:00

Dhurwa tense as CISF jawans clash with displaced people.

Informing the incident Dayamani Barla, noted social activist said: "The hearing on this matter is going on in High Court, Ranchi on this issue. Before any final judgement of HC the jawans of CISF acquired the land and put tent there."

Link to this page

Ranchi, Jan. 14 -- Tension gripped Dhurwa area in Ranchi, after Central Industrial Security Force (CISF

) jawans clashed with the displaced people, injuring at least 20 persons, on Wednesday. The people were protesting against the acquisition of disputed land of Heavy Engineering Limited (HEC

) at Murma village, by the CISF jawans six months ago.

The injured have been admitted to the HEC hospital.

Tension brewed up when some of the CISF jawans started destroying a Sarna Sthal (auspicious

place for the tribals) which falls under the area of the makeshift camp installed by the jawans. The villagers alleged that they were insulting the Sarna flag. A group of around 10 women reached the spot and pleaded the jawans not to destroy the sacred place

.

Being irritated

by the repeated requests of the women the jawans began beating them up. The spot was just some steps away from the protesting place where the villagers of 36 villages sat on dharna under the banner of Visthapit Morcha since six months earlier.

A large number of villagers were gathered there at the place when the incident occurred. When the villagers heard about the incident, they rushed towards the spot where the women were being beaten up. The CISF jawans also beat the villagers.

Around 20 of displaced people, who were protesting for the 3,000 acre land which acquired by HEC in 1956-57, were injured and admitted to HEC Hospital. Some of the men and women were more 60-year-old and they were seriously injured. The jawans beaten up them by the buts of the guns.

Informing the incident Dayamani Barla, noted social activist said: "The hearing on this matter is going on in High Court, Ranchi on this issue. Before any final judgement of HC the jawans of CISF acquired the land and put tent there."

A large numbers of women protesters also used to gathered there. After this incident, the villagers from Murma, Aani, Jaganathpur, Kute, Labed have organised a protest.

The CISF acquired the land on the basis of the direction of Union Home Ministry. The Ministry has directed that within the three month of completion of the construction of base camp should be completed. On the condition of anonymity one of the officers said that this land has been taken from HEC. Therefore, the villagers should not be claim on this land.

Meanwhile, the villagers said that they will stage dharna against this decision.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Pioneer. For more information on news feed please contact Sarabjit Jagirdar at htsyndication@hindustantimes.com

Copyright Pioneer

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
--
Priya Ranjan, Ph.D.
Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

*************************************************
One Billion overfed and one billion underfed
What we need is a nutrition bridge...

Communicate! It can't make things any worse.
-From Fortune on LINUX

सर्वे गुणाः कांचनं आश्रयन्ति-भर्तृहरि

All the qualities take shelter at gold.
-Bhartrihari

Charvak is great!
*********************************************

Is Mittal Our God? by Gladson Dungdung

2010-01-15T03:50:00.001-08:00

Is Mittal Our God?

By Gladson Dungdung

www.jharkhandmirror.org

15 January, 2010

On 8 January, 2010, the media (forth realm of the democracy) reported us that the global steel giant Arcelor Mittal Company is all set to desert the state of Jharkhand and Orissa, where the company is not yet able to acquire land for its proposed mega steel plants because of the Adivasis' protest against the land acquisition. On the next day, a leading daily of Jharkhand came up with a 'special page' on Mittal company apart from the auspicious front page story, which concludes with the final verdict "the God is ready to desert Jharkhand". Of course, the story is not new as the Jharkhandi media carry out this kind of biased reports for the corporate houses regularly.

In fact, when there is any kind of news in favour of the corporate houses, it always gets space in the front page but when the news is against of the corporate interest; it is either reported in unnoticeable manners or did not carried out at all. Ironically, it has been repeatedly done by the forth pillar of democracy, which is expected to be unbiased for the sake of democracy. As far as the Mittal Company is concerned, the media have always played a biased role. In July 2006, when L.N. Mittal the owner of the Arcelor Mittal Company had announced for its departure to the state of Orissa and played a dirty game for pressurizing the state government, the media told us the same thing that the 'God is leaving the state'. The relevance questions are – Is Mittal our God? Are we incomplete without him and does Mittal really care about us?

The media houses have been attempting to coin L.N. Mittal as our (Jharkhandi people) god since the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed between the company and the Jharkhand government on October 8, 2005. The company has proposed for setting up a mega steel plant with the capacity of 12 million tones per annum at an estimated investment of Rs 40,000 crore. In addition to the steel plant, it has also proposed to set up a 2500 megawatt mega power plant and mining projects in the state. The company requires 25,000 acres of land and 20,000 unit water per hour for the mega steel plant and a township in Torpa-Kamdara region of Khunti and Gumla district. According to the original plan, the steel plant was to come up by the end of 2009 and the production would begin from 2012. Consequently, there would be a mass displacement as 256 villages would be affected therefore the Adivasis are protesting against it.

However, the right from the beginning the media houses are playing a dubious role. The newspapers regularly reported that the company requires only 12 thousand acres of land and would provide job to 1 lack people in the state. The same newspapers are now reporting that the company requires 25 thousand acres of land for the plant, where 50 thousand people will get the jobs. The newspapers never report us that how the Mittal company has suppressed its own employees and thrown them out of the jobs when the company was in loss. A question comes to my mind is how can L.N. Mittal become our God who did not even spend a pie for India (which he claims as his own country) without self interest in his lifetime?

The Arcelor Mittal Company operates in 60 countries across the world and it has plants in 20 countries. In 2009, the company deserted thousands of its own employees across the globe. The demand of company's steel had gone down to10 percent and its share fell down by 7 percent. The company had to cut production in Canada by 45 percent and axed 9,000 employees. It also cut the job of 1000 employees in lowest cost plant in Poland and shut down one out of its two blast furnaces in west Belgium. The Company was in the process to idle a plant in East Chicago and lay off another 400 workers. The company had total workforces of 3,26,000 which was cut down to 3,15,867 consequently, 10,133 people lost their jobs in the company by the end of October, 2009. Hence, the company has failed in protecting the rights of its own employees. In these circumstances, how can it give us the guarantee of jobs security in India and why our media do not bother to inform us about it? Do media run on coverage package of Mittal?

Obviously, the Mittal Company has either purchased the media or influence in some other ways, which is of course resulting in the media's exaggeration, manufacturing the consent and convincing people in favour of the company. The media exaggerated Mittal's entry as a great achievement for the state and when the company threatened repeatedly to leave the state, the media coined it as the sky is going to fall in Jharkhad. The announcement of ITI was also projected as it would change the fate of the Adivasis. It was coined in such a manner that without Mittal, Adivasis of the region are beasts, uncivilized and sub-human. Finally, the CSR was propagated as it will change the fate of Jharkhand in over night. All these were done in complete planned manner to get the land by projecting Mittal as Messiah of Jharkhand therefore now when he has announced of shifting the project to the state of Karnata, the media keep telling us that the God is about to desert us therefore we should go to him, plead for not to leave us and surrender our ancestral lands for his steel plant.

Indeed, the Indian democracy is run by the corporate houses and the media is part of it. As far as the people especially the marginalized are concerned, they have only right to vote, which is also snatched by the threat of money, muscle and manipulation power. Of course, the corporate houses were not our god, they are not our god and they will never be our god. If they leave the state, we have nothing to lose but the politicians, who get huge money to buy the votes. However, the recent breaking news on 'coverage package' is the best example of how the forth realm of democracy is also on sale and betrays its own people. Should we still believe on the Media? If the media go on like this, we would have only choice to tell is 'the media is of the corporate, for the corporate and by the corporate. Meanwhile, we are hopping that the Mittal also comes up with his own media house to manipulate the Adivasis' lands but even after that he will never be our god.

Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist and Writer from Jharkhand. He can be reached at gladsonhractivist@gmail.com

--
Gladson Dungdung
H R Activist and Writer
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Email: gladsonhractivist@gmail.com
Website: www.jharkhandmirror.org

__._,_.___

10 hurt in jawan attack: Protests led by Dayamani Barla: Article from The Telegraph: Calcutta

2010-01-14T06:42:00.001-08:00

10 hurt in jawan attack

OUR CORRESPONDENT

The protesters at Kute village on Wednesday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Jan. 13: At least 10 people sustained injuries when Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans lathicharged a mob protesting against a proposal to set up a CISF camp at Kute village in Jagannathpur today.

The incident took place around 8.30am when the villagers assembled after having information of uprooting a Sarna flag they had put on the proposed site to restrain CISF officials from starting the work.

The injured were admitted to HEC Plant Hospital with injuries on heads and legs. But they were reported out of danger. Darshan Mahto, Santosh Mahto, Nepal Baitha and Jeetwa Oroan, who led the mob, were identified among the injured persons.

Superintendent of police (rural) Mohit Bundas confirmed the incident but refused to divulge details saying that the matter was not serious. "The matter is simple. Everything was set right immediately," he said.

Sources, however, said CISF jawans remained in action for an hour and a half. "The jawans did not spare anyone and assaulted all those who came in their way. Even those having nothing to do with the agitation were beaten up," a resident said, adding that they were aggressive as the visit of one of their senior officers was scheduled today.

Sub-divisional officer Rajdeep John, who was deputed to deal with the situation, said the trouble was nothing new. "The trouble started eight months back when 158 acres of land spared by the Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) from its 3,500 acres of unused land was transferred to CISF for setting up a camp and CISF officials took the land in their possession to start construction," he said.

Tribal leader Dayamani Barla, who led the villagers, said that it was wrong on HEC's part to sell the land acquired by the state government for industrial purpose. "Unused land should be returned to its owners instead of selling it to CISF," she said.

Barla said the villagers were staging dharna at the proposed camp site since June 6. Last month, they also rooted a Sarna flag to restrain CISF from any construction. "When the CISF jawans today uprooted the flag, the villagers assembled and started agitation prompting CISF jawans to lathicharge," she said.

On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 8:08 PM, pranjan@gmail.com <pranjan@gmail.com> wrote:

You have been sent this article from The Telegraph, Calcutta by Priya Ranjan.

Message:
Dear Friends: Here is the latest on fights from Dayamani Barla. -Priya Ranjan

10 hurt in jawan attack
Ranchi, Jan. 13: At least 10 people sustained injuries when Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans lathicharged a mob protesting against a proposal to set up a CISF camp at Kute village in Jagannathpur today. | Read

Page url: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100114/jsp/jharkhand/story_11981663.jsp#

Send feedback

An excellent article for all Adivasi-wannabe-s: The Architect of The Adivasis' Misery by Gladson Dungdung

2010-01-06T23:27:00.000-08:00

The Architect Of The Adivasis' Misery

By Gladson Dungdung

06 January, 2010
Countercurrents.org

The India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nerhu, who is also known as the architect of modern India, once said, "Dams are the temples of modern India." According to him, the big dams would address the issues of hunger and poverty of India. Unfortunately, the big dams only created pains, sufferings and sorrows to the owners (mostly the Adivasis; the indigenous people of India) of the lands, which submerged into the temples of modern India. Similarly, the big industries like Heavy Engineering Corporation, Bokaro Steel Limited, steel companies, coal mining and other mining industries created only misery for the Adivasis. Consequently, the Adivasis became landless, daily wage labourers and servants of the bigwigs after losing their land, forest, water and other livelihood resources.

Ironically, the architect of modern India did not create space for the Adivasis in their own modern country. He only inspired them to add more sufferings in their lives for the sake of national interest, saying, "If you are to suffer, you must suffer in the interest of the country." Perhaps, the Adivasis never know what it means by the national interest because they are the people who have always suffered for the national interest but they never enjoyed the fruits of the national interest, they were also not given place in the India history and not even memorized in the holy land of martyrs in the national capital. Needless to say, the architect of modern India did not even bother to count the people who have suffered in the interest of the country, which counts nearly 50 million, who have sacrificed everything for the national interest. Among them 40 percent are Adivasis, 20 percent are Dalits and rest 40 percent are the people of other backward classes. Indeed, the elites never suffer for the national interest as they are born only to enjoy their lives and of course the country protects them in every possible manner.

However, when the issues of the Adivasis are discussed, Nehru is always remembered for his 'Panchsheel for tribal development', which is also called the five pillars of the tribal development. But does his panchsheel work for the Adivasis? Of course, it doesn't. In fact, Nehru himself went against of the principles of Panchsheel and so the Congress party and other Indian rulers. The history suggests that some policies were made only to close the Adivasis tongues. According to Vincent Ekka of the Indian Social Institute, whenever the Adivasis protest against unjust policies of the state, they are given some rights on paper to keep them silent like the barking dogs are treated. Obviously, Nehru's Panchsheel is the best in principle but the worst in practice as it was made for keeping silent to the barking dogs.

1. Non-imposition: The first pillar of Panchsheel says that the Adivasis should be allowed to progress according to their own pace and understanding of the situation. In principle, it seems to be very good but practically, the Indian government went against of it. The most important question is, how can you ask to the Adivasis to go with their pace and understanding if you snatch their livelihood resources in the name of the national interest and also do not provide them any support? The idea of Nehru was just like a day dreaming. The fact is the Adivasis' indigenous method of development was never counted by people of the mainstream of the society and the corporate development model was imposed on them instead. The Indian rulers never walk on their talk for the Adivasis. In the last 6 decades, many policies were made, which displaced, dispossessed and deprived the Adivasis from their livelihood resources but rehabilitation was never a concern for the Indian government at all but of course, they were much concerned for the corporate houses.

2. Respect of tribal customs: The second pillar of Panchsheel also did not work because the Adivasi tradition, culture and customs were never accepted by the Aryan invaders. Only the folk songs and dances of the Adivasis were romanticized in some extent but the tradition, culture and ethos, which are based on community living, equality for all and need based economy were always neglected, depicted as the worst and destroyed in many ways. Similarly, the religion of Adivasis was not recognized by the Indian constitution though many other religions emerged much later in India got recognition in the constitution. As a result, thousands of the Adivasis accepted other religions, religious enmity was created among them and thousands of their sacred groves were destroyed in the name of 'development'. Where is the principle of Panchsheel buried?

3. Development of tribal youth: The third pillar speaks about the leadership of the Adivasis. But the fact of the matter is the Adivasi leadership is not acceptable to the so-called people of the mainstream of the Indian society. The history proves that the Adivasis legend Baba Tilka Manjhi was the first man to fight against the Britishers in 1780 and hanged subsequently but he was not recognized by historians of the mainstream. Similarly, the other Adivasis leaders - Sidho-Kanhu, Birsa Munda, Fulo-Jhano, Nilambar-Pitambar and many others fought against the British government but they were not given space in the India history as they deserved to. Therefore, the Nehru's third pillar doesn't make any sense to the Adivasis. As far as the Adivasis are concerned, they have always groomed, inspired and promoted the youth leadership in their community.

4. Simplicity of Administration: The fourth Pillar of Panchsheel seems to be very well idea as the Adivasis' strong traditional self governance system exists even today, which the Britishers did not able to destroy and finally they accepted it and made laws for its protection and promotion. Ironically, the rulers of modern India including Nehru did not accept the Adivasis' TSG. Instead, he preferred the voluntary agencies for carrying out the development works in the Adivasi regions. The Adivasis' traditional self governance was not accepted precisely because it was a biggest threat to the authorities of Indian rulers. Though the Indian constitution has some provisions for the Adivasis regions as 5th and 6th schedules but there was no attempt made for strengthening of the traditional self governance of the Adivasis. In fact, the Indian rulers wanted the Adivasis regions under their control therefore they imposed numbers of legislations – forest Acts, Laws in the name of the protection of wild life, Land related laws, mining Acts and civil as well as criminal laws. Finally, they captured the natural resources of these regions and exploited it as much as they could.

5. Emphasis on human growth: The fifth pillar of Panchsheel emphasizes on human growth in term of the living standards, which is really appreciable. But as far as the Adivasis are concerned, they are not accepted as human being in India even today. They are always portrayed as uncivilized, sub-human, demons, forest-dwellers and mindless people. The Aryans invaders never treat the Adivasis as equal human beings. The Adivasis are always racially discriminated, exploited and dispossessed. The question is if you take away the livelihood resources of Adivasis without providing them alternatives, discriminated them and treat like sub-human then how can you expect their human growth? The Adivasis regions lack education, health facilities, drinking water, sanitation and shelter even today due to the deliberate inhuman treatment of the Indian rulers with the Adivasis.

Undoubtedly, Nehru is the architect of modern India, but it is also the fact that his modern temples of India, industrialization process and corporate model of development are the main reasons of the Adivasis' pains, sufferings and sorrows. Indeed, he is the architect of the Adivasis' misery. Today, millions of the Adivasis are struggling for their survival, which credit goes to Nehru and his Congress Party. Later on, the right wing and the left wing also added salt on the wounds. Therefore, now we (the Adivasis) must realize that no one can fight for us but we have to fight for ourselves. If we protect our natural resources today, we would be ensuring a better future for our children tomorrow. Before, we go for another movement against displacement, we must pray to our super natural God for not to forgive Nehru because he knew what he did for us. He created misery for us, he ensured that we must suffer and he turned our heaven into hell. His temples of modern India dispossessed us, his temples of modern India exploited us and his temples of modern India created graves for us.

Gladson Dungdung is a Human Rights Activist and Writer from Jharkhand.. He can be reached at gladsonhractivist@gmail.com

--
Gladson Dungdung
H R Activist and Writer
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Email: gladsonhractivist@gmail.com
Website: www.jharkhandmirror.org

__._,_.___

Reply to sender | Reply to group

Messages in this topic (1)

Recent Activity:

Visit Your Group Start a New Topic

MARKETPLACE

Going Green: Your Yahoo! Groups resource for green living

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

__,_._,___

--
Priya Ranjan, Ph.D.
Official Internet Wanderer
दिलदार वेताल ऑफ़ इंद्रजाल :)

*************************************************
One Billion overfed and one billion underfed
What we need is a nutrition bridge...

Communicate! It can't make things any worse.
-From Fortune on LINUX

सर्वे गुणाः कांचनं आश्रयन्ति-भर्तृहरि

All the qualities take shelter at gold.
-Bhartrihari

Charvak is great!
*********************************************

Fast against atrocities on tribals

2010-01-06T00:04:00.000-08:00

Fast against atrocities on tribals

Last Updated : 03 Jan 2010 07:02:28 AM IST

First Published : 03 Jan 2010 02:05:00 AM IST

CHENNAI: Around 50 people observed a oneday fast on Saturday expressing solidarity with Gandhian activist Himanshu Kumar, who has been fasting to highlight the atrocities against tribal folk in the Dantewada region of Chhattisgarh.

The protestors gathered outside the Memorial Hall and read poems in support of tribal folk. The agitators also condemned State-sponsored paramilitary forces like the Salwa Judum. Noting that over 3,50,000 tribals have been displaced because of various development works and the offensive against Maoists, the protestors sought the implementation of a Supreme Court order directing the Chhattisgarh government to rehabilitate the displaced.

Madhumita Dutta of the Campaign for Peace and Justice, which organised the fast, said tribal people are caught in the crossfire between the government and Maoists.

"Adivasi resistance is pretty older than Maoism and Naxalism.

Adivasis have the right to protest and this fight is for their land and justice," she said. The protest found resonance from the passers-by with many halting to ask where the atrocities were being committed.

baha paper cutting colour - PK

2009-12-11T04:10:00.001-08:00

prabhat khabar news cutting

colour

--
Priya Ranjan, Ph.D.
Official Internet Wanderer

*************************************************
One Billion overfed and one billion underfed
What we need is a nutrition bridge...

Communicate! It can't make things any worse.
-From Fortune on LINUX

सर्वे गुणाः कांचनं आश्रयन्ति-भर्तृहरि

All the qualities take shelter at gold.
-Bhartrihari

Charvak is great!
*********************************************

Will Manmohan Singh speak up on this? Uranium Corporation of India Limited: Wasting Away Tribal Lands

2009-12-09T23:28:00.001-08:00

Uranium Corporation of India Limited: Wasting Away Tribal Lands

Written by Moushumi Basu
Sunday, 29 November 2009
CoprWatch.org — "I have had three miscarriages and lost five children within a week of their births," says Hira Hansda, a miner's wife. "Even after 20 years of marriage we have no children today." Now in her late forties, she sits outside her mud hut in Jadugoda Township, site of one of the oldest uranium mines in India. The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) operates that mine, part of a cluster of four underground and one open cast mines and two processing plants, in East Singbhum district in the Eastern Indian state of Jharkhand. The deepest plunges almost one kilometer into the earth. Incorporated as a public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 1967, UCIL has sole responsibility for mining and processing all of India's uranium. And since the strength of the Jadugoda region's uraninite ore is extremely low, it takes many tons of earth as well as complex metallurgical processes to yield even a small amount of useable uranium ore—along with tons of radioactive waste, disposed of in unlined tailing dams. UCIL processes the ore into yellowcake and sends it to the Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad, where it is officially designated for use in nuclear reactors. But it is an open secret that some of the nuclear material becomes the key ingredient in India's nuclear arsenal. (India is one of only three states—along with Israel and Pakistan—that are not signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. North Korea withdrew from the Treaty in 2003.) Unhealthy Villages Radiation and health experts across the world charge that toxic materials and radioactivity released by the mining and processing operations are causing widespread infertility, birth defects and cancers. A 2008 health survey by the Indian chapter of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), found that "primary sterility was found to be more common in the people residing near uranium mining operations area." Jadugoda residents Kaderam Tudu and his wife, Munia, considered themselves fortunate when their infant was born alive, until, "I found that my baby son did not have his right ear and instead in its place was a blob of flesh," says Tudu, a day worker in his late thirties. Their son, Shyam Tudu, now eight, has a severe hearing impairment. Even children who appear healthy are impacted. "The youths from our villages have become victims of social ostracism," says Parvati Manjhi, and cannot find spouses. "And a number of our girls have been abandoned by their husbands, when they failed to give birth," Now middle-aged, Parvati and her husband, Dhuwa Manjhi, who used to work for UCIL, are childless. Harrowing tales fill the region around the mines, and add irony to the area's name, Jharkhand, which in the local tribal language means "forest endowed with nature's bounties." If the lush land was the indigenous population's boon for centuries, its rich mineral reserves have become their bane. Six decades of industrialization has depleted the forest cover, degraded the environment, displaced tribal peoples—who along with Dalit ("untouchables") form an oppressed underclass—and devastated a way of life deeply interwoven with nature. Despite India's economic boom and proximity to one of the country's richest mineral reserves, the villages in Jharkhand are now among the poorest in the country, according to the Center For Science & Environment's (New Delhi) 2008 report "Rich Lands Poor People." Uranium Corporation of India Limited in Jharkhand UCIL's underground mines in Jadugoda, Bhatin, Turamdhih, Narwapahar, and its open cast mine at Banduhurang extract 1,000 tons per day (TPD) of uranium ore. Two underground mines in the pipeline at Baghjata and Mahuldih will boost that amount. The ore is processed at the Jadugoda and Turamdih mills with a combined capacity of 5,000 TDP. The company earned $64 million in 2007-08, and made a $3 million profit. The 20-year lease for UCIL's mines was up in 2007, and a new application is being processed. Under it, the company wants to add 6.37 hectares to tailing dam capacity and expand production, according to UCIL Chairman and Managing Director Ramendra Gupta. This move requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) drawn up by the Central Institute of Mining & Fuel Research (CIMFR), along with a public hearing. Addressing the affected community at the May public hearing in Jadugoda, the company represented the local plans as "a marginal expansion." But the UCIL website promises "a quantum leap in UCIL's activities" that includes plans to "deepen the existing mines, expand its processing facilities," and "not only opening new mines, but also the development of the community around its operations." While the company has created local schools and provides jobs and social services, villagers who attended the hearing argued that these provisions do not compensate for the health effects and destruction of their way of life. "Why are we being made to pay such a heavy price, for so many decades"? Asks Hira Hansda, speaking of her three miscarriages and birth to five infants that quickly died. Her husband Sonaram worked at the tailing dam as a casual employee between 1984-87, and like many villagers, he links the deterioration in local health conditions to the arrival of the uranium mines. The last three surveys conducted in the area found increased radiation levels. Heavy Security at UCIL's Public Hearing Keeps Villagers Out The public hearing on UCIL's new application took place at the heavily fortified camp of the Central India Security Force (CISF) within the UCIL colony at Jadugoda. Conducted by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board, the proceedings were marked by restrictions on personal liberties under sections of a law applying to situations with the potential to cause civil unrest. Leaving little room for the public or protesters, the hall was packed with hundreds of UCIL workers and other company beneficiaries who held placards reading: "When compared to hunger, pollution is a small issue," and "Save UCIL." Those who had lost their lands and health to the mines were physically barred from the tent. Outside the proceedings, protesters shouted: "Do not destroy our land," "No uranium, no uranium waste, no weapons, care for the future." Many indigenous villagers waved the banner of the Jharkhandi Organization Against Radiation (JOAR), winner of the Germany-based Nuclear Free Future Award for its long crusade against the hazards of uranium mining in Jadugoda. The protesters denounced the hearing as "a farce" and demanded that it be immediately stopped. Villager and JOAR president, Ghanashyam Biruli, issued the demands: no new uranium mines, bring the existing mine under international safety guidelines, return unused tribal land, provide livelihood and rehabilitation to displaced people, clean up the contamination, commission an independent study of environmental contamination and health effects, and monitor water bodies to ensure that the radionuclides do not seep into the aquifer that is the lifeline of more than 100,000 people. The activists also argued that since the country can buy uranium on the international market, there is no compelling need to expand UCIL's capacity. The real compelling need, they asserted, was protecting health and the environment. The 2008 health survey by the Indian chapter of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) provided clear evidence, finding that: * Couples living near the mines were "1.58 times more vulnerable to primary sterility" with 9.6 percent of couples in study villages unable to conceive after three years of marriage, compared with 6.27 percent in a reference (control) group. * Birth defects followed a similar pattern with 1.84 times higher incidence: "[B]abies from mothers, who lived near uranium mining operation area, suffered a significant increase in congenital deformities," according to the report. While 4.49 percent of mothers living in the study villages reported bearing children with congenital deformities, only 2.49 percent of mothers in reference villages fell under this category." The national rate for people with disabilities (including congenital deformities) is 3 percent, according to official government statistics. * Deformed babies near the mining operations are almost 6 times more likely to die, with 9.25 percent mothers in the study villages reporting congenital deformities as the cause of death of their children. In the reference village, mothers reported 1.70 percent of babies died of deformities. * Cancer deaths were also higher: 2.87 percent of households in study villages attributed the cause of death to be cancer, compared to 1.89 percent in the reference village. These factors contributed to a lowered life expectancy. In the study villages 68.33 percent of the population died before reaching the state's average life expectancy: 62 years old. UCIL Denies Contamination Despite such alarming reports, radiation data are not made public because they fall under the purview of the Atomic Energy Act of 1962. UCIL / DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) also cites security concerns for refusing to release data on health of the workers. But Buddha Weeps in Jadugoda, a 1999 award-winning film by Shri Prakash documented that, despite a law mandating regular monitoring, in the last five- to ten-year period few workers underwent blood and urine tests to assess the impact of radiation. Independent scientists have confirmed the danger. Professor Hiroaki Koide, from the Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University, Japan, sampled soil and air in the surrounding villages and documented that "The circumference of tailing ponds is impacted with uranium radiation. The strength of the radiation is of 10 to 100 times high in comparison to places without contamination. ...There are places where uranium concentration is high in the road or the riverside, and it is thought that tailings are used for construction material," including on villagers' houses." Tailings are production waste material that, according to critics are unsafely stored, dumped, and used for landfills, roads and construction. UCIL Technical Director D Acharya denied that the company was responsible for radiological contamination. "UCIL's safety and pollution control measures are at par with the international standards, comparable at any point of time," he said. The company is dealing with naturally occurring materials, he noted, the very low grade ore extracted is a minimal environmental hazard, and the company is not enriching the ore in Jadugoda. But tacitly acknowledging the risks, UCIL head, Gupta, noted in the 2008 Annual Report that "External gamma radiation, Radon concentration, suspended particulate matters, airborne long lived Alpha activity and concentration of radio nuclides- uranium and Radium in surface and ground water, in soil and food items etc are monitored regularly." Although he presented no evidence, UCIL Technical Director Acharya said that allegations of health problems are canards spread by anti-uranium lobbies, and that the physical fitness of the employees can be gauged the UCIL football team's success in winning the DAE tournaments for the past five years. "From time to time we have also conducted structured health surveys and examinations, by independent sources," said Acharya. "One was done by the erstwhile Bihar Assembly, about ten years ago, but the findings are absolutely normal." (The area was part of Bihar at the time.) "The effects of radiation are being constantly monitored by independent watchdogs, and there are health physics experts who are always with us, for round-the clock-vigil of the situation. Hence, there is really no cause of concern," he added. That is not the experience of many villagers, who link serious health problems to the mines. Like many of the women in the surrounding areas, Hansda's pregnancies were a time of terror. "It fills within us fear and apprehensions of the possible ordeal that may be in store. Who knows what would be the fate of the baby," she said.

Now you know why Mittal is pushing so hard in Jharkhand

2009-10-28T02:24:00.001-07:00

ArcelorMittal Drops After Third-Quarter Profit Misses Estimates

Share | Email | Print | A A A

By Thomas Biesheuvel

Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker, dropped the most in four months in Amsterdam trading after third-quarter profit missed analyst estimates as demand remained depressed in Europe.

Operating income plus depreciation, impairment expenses and exceptional items was $1.59 billion, Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal said today in a statement. That missed the $1.78 billion median of 15 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The company forecast fourth-quarter operating income at $2 billion to $2.4 billion. The stock fell as much as 6.4 percent.

"We see some more downside to our 2009 forecasts," said Rochus Brauneiser, an analyst at Kepler Equities in Frankfurt who has a "buy" recommendation on the shares.

Steelmakers around the world have cut production and jobs in the past year after usage tumbled. Demand in Europe, which is ArcelorMittal's biggest market, dropped 32 percent in the third quarter compared with a year earlier and the market is "stuck in slow motion," industry group Eurofer said last week.

The shares fell 50.5 cents, or 2.1 percent, to 23.995 euros in Amsterdam trading at 9:53 a.m. in Amsterdam. Earlier they traded at 22.94 euros, the biggest intraday decline since June 22. The stock has increased 41 percent this year, valuing the company at 37.4 billion euros ($55.4 billion).

Other steelmakers have suffered from the collapse in demand. U.S. Steel Corp., the largest U.S. producer, yesterday posted its third consecutive loss. Tata Steel Ltd., India's largest steelmaker, missed analyst estimates after saying yesterday second-quarter profit slumped 50 percent.

Output Curtailments

ArcelorMittal cut output as much as 50 percent earlier in 2009, fired workers, and sold shares and bonds to refinance borrowings. Fourth-quarter steel capacity utilization will be about 70 percent, which compares with 61 percent in the third quarter and 50 percent in the second, Chief Financial Officer Aditya Mittal told reporters on a conference call.

"We have seen the first signs of recovery in the third quarter," Chief Executive Officer Lakshmi Mittal said in the statement. "We should continue to see further gradual improvement through 2010, although the operating environment remains challenging."

The plunge in global steel demand has ended and usage will grow by 9.2 percent next year as automakers and builders recover, the World Steel Association said earlier this month. ArcelorMittal said in July it would restart blast furnaces in Belgium, France, and Spain as customers rebuilt inventories.

Price Gains

The company posted third-quarter net income of $903, or 60 cents a share, after a $899 million tax gain. That compares with $3.82 billion, or $2.78, a year earlier.

The cost of hot-rolled coil, a benchmark steel product used in cars and construction, gained 16 percent in the third quarter, the steepest increase in 15 months, according to data compiled by Metal Bulletin. Steel coil, which currently fetches 415 euros a metric ton, has dropped 38 percent from a year earlier after the global economy contracted.

The company amended terms on $31 billion of facilities in July allowing net debt to rise to 4 1/2 times its Ebitda, from a limit of 3 1/2 previously.

Tribes Stall Steelmakers in India : More like Tribals fight for their existence

2009-10-25T19:36:00.001-07:00

OCTOBER 26, 2009

Tribes Stall Steelmakers in India

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703697004574495511978316746.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

By PRASENJIT BHATTACHARYA And SAHIL MAHTANI

NEW DELHI—Steel companies have pledged billions of dollars to expand in India, but they are struggling to secure the land they need in two mineral-rich states because of fierce opposition from local tribes and slow-moving governments.

The standoffs in the northeastern states of Orissa and Jharkhand have hit two of the world's top five steel producers, ArcelorMittal and Posco, and are threatening to stall a key driver of India's industrial activity in the years ahead. According to the steel ministry, projects worth $82 billion are being held up because of delays related to land acquisition and environmental clearances.

View Full Image

Adivaasi, Moolvaasi, Astitva Raksha Manch

Tribes in India have opposed steelmakers acquiring land for new projects. A protest last year against a planned ArcelorMittal plant in Jharkhand.

"India will face severe problems in expanding its steel-production capacity if the land-acquisition problem isn't dealt with soon," said N. K. Patnaik, executive director (Orissa), Uttam Galva Steels Ltd., an Indian steelmaker.

Companies bet that India's demand for steel will grow more than 10% a year in the next decade, led by India's gradual emergence as an auto-making hub. State and private spending on power plants, bridges, ports and a slew of low-cost housing projects are also expected to keep steel demand rising.

Land acquisition for new plants has been a problem for years as state governments and manufacturers seek to move farmers and others who live off the land to make way for industrial expansion.

About 66% of India's 275 million tons of new steel capacity in the next decade is expected to come in Orissa and Jharkhand, according to government data, because of the abundance of iron ore, coal and water, which are essential for setting up a steel plant. Few other states offer such possibilities, so shifting elsewhere is extremely difficult.

But nowhere has the land acquisition sparked as much anger and protest as in the two impoverished states, where a large portion of the population consists of tribal groups. These groups, often with the backing of activists and left-wing political organizations, have succeeded in halting land acquisition for several mining and industrial projects.

The issue attracted renewed focus recently after Lakshmi Mittal, chief executive of the world's largest steel producer, ArcelorMittal, vented his frustration over progress on new, or greenfield, projects earlier this month.

"The company continues to work on its two greenfield projects in Jharkhand and Orissa. However, in the event that land acquisition continues to prove difficult, we will start to search for alternate sites in India for our greenfield projects," Mr. Mittal said in a statement.

South Korea's Posco signed a deal with the Orissa government in June 2005 to set up a 12-million-ton-a-year steel plant but has yet to begin construction. "We are willing to offer both financial compensation and employment in our project," said Posco's general manager in India, S. K. Mohapatra. The company's projection is that plant construction could be completed by 2014.

Dayamani Barla, a prominent tribal activist in Jharkhand, says tribal identity is linked to land, forest and water, and once tribal people are displaced, their cultural and social identity would be destroyed. "Tribals can't live without the forest or without farming," she said. "Our battle is for saving our environment, forests, culture and social values."

Ms. Barla is the founder of the protest movement, Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch (Indigenous Peoples Survival Forum), which has led protests against ArcelorMittal's proposed steel plant in the state of Jharkhand.

"Instead of destroying our forests, polluting rivers and destroying homes, the government should evolve policy to give only wastelands to industrial projects, so no conflict rises," she added.

Miners have been targeted too. The most vocal protest has been by Dongria Kondh, a tribal group in Orissa, protesting against the bauxite mines of Vedanta Resources in the Niyamgiri Hills of the state. In Jaduguda in Jharkhand, protests also have erupted over uranium mining.

In the face of angry protests, state governments consider it politically risky to push through projects. Many of the tribal groups live in forests, which are state property, but since they have lived there for centuries, governments don't want to antagonize them by forced eviction.

In September 2008, three land surveyors of Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd. were beaten up and their faces smeared with cow dung by villagers for conducting a land survey in Jharkhand for the company's proposed steel and power projects. Last year, hundreds of tribal members assembled near the proposed site of an ArcelorMittal steel plant chanting slogans such as "Go back Mittal."

"The tribal groups are not going to give up their land for any industrial project, be it Mittal or anyone else," said Dilip Minz, an activist with the Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee. "Forced eviction of tribal population for industrial projects causes cultural, social and political damage to tribal populations that are very hard to repair."

Many locals are suspicious after past projects failed to adequately compensate landholders for their eviction, making it difficult for companies now to persuade them to relinquish land even with offers of compensation and employment. "The people in the state are upset about being underpaid in past industrial projects," said N.N. Sinha, Jharkhand's industries secretary.

While several industrial projects do offer jobs to one member of a tribal family, widespread illiteracy and lack of skills, other than farming, among tribal groups mean a small portion of them get jobs in factories. Most factory jobs are filled by nontribals living in small towns or larger villages, where education and skills training is more available.

Prafulla Samantara, secretary of the Lok Shakti Abhijan (Peoples Power Movement), which is protesting against steel projects being set up in Orissa, said, "People oppose land acquisition because they have seen what happens when people give up lands. They are starving and living on the street."

He said that tribals don't stand any chance of getting jobs in the new steel or other industrial projects being set up in the state. "How can the people benefit from industrialization, when they can't even read A,B,C,D?" he said.

Local governments also now get involved to vet terms, creating multiple layers of bureaucracy. "Since there were complaints of earlier deals undervaluing land, all matters related to land acquisition have to be approved by the district administration," said Tuhin K Mukherjee, executive director of JSW Steel Ltd., one of the India's largest steel companies. "Matters...often move back and forth in as many as 60 to 70 layers of bureaucracy."

A. M. R. Dalwai, secretary of Orissa's department of steel and mines, adding that apart from the challenge of persuading local landowners, environmental clearance for mega steel projects also takes time. He said private companies needed to step up efforts to persuade local landowners to give up their land for industrial projects.

Some projects are moving forward. Bhushan Steel, a midsize Indian company, is ready to begin commercial production of its five million tons a year plant in Orissa over the next few months, after acquiring land in Orissa in 2005.

Write to Prasenjit Bhattacharya at prasenjit.bhattacharya@dowjones.com and Sahil Mahtani at sahil.mahtani@dowjones.com

2009-10-20T22:41:00.001-07:00

PUBLIC HEARING WITHOUT THE PUBLIC by Shriprakash

2009-10-20T22:27:00.001-07:00

PUBLIC HEARING WITHOUT THE PUBLIC

UCIL'S 2009 EXPANSION PLANS

The much-awaited public hearing by the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) is over. There were lots of public and there were also lots of policemen and members of different security forces. For every one person not in uniform, there was one person from the forces in uniform, some wielding batons, others with rifles and some in riot gear. UCIL has about 2000 permanent workers and nearly 1000 people who are either on casual or temporary employment. So the total number of beneficiaries is about 3000, if you add the other members in the families of the beneficiaries, then UCIL family has more than 15,000 people. Though most of the workers are exposed to dangerous levels of radiation, most of them consider themselves fortunate and lucky. That is quite expected in a country where the wage rates/returns in farming is very low and there is not any other job opportunity.

Yesterday 200 villagers of Matigoda entered the UCIL premises and started ploughing the land. Even though the land was acquired long back, the villagers were paying the tax. They were not paid any compensation. Nobody got a job either. The situation became tense. They were invited for a negotiation after few hours. They were taken to the local police station. The meeting lasted for a few hours and ended with some promises, but no document was signed.

The public hearing was held in the private land of UCIL, near the camp of the Central Industrial Security Forces. Early morning, hundreds of UCIL workers and other beneficiaries had occupied the chairs kept in the hall for the public hearing. The real public, who have lost their lands for the mines and whose health has been damaged due to radiation, had no place in the entire process.

The hearing was held to get the peoples' consent for a capacity addition of 20% (from current 2020 tpd to 2500 tpd or uranium ore to be milled) and for another tailing pond to house the radioactive mill tailing. The total tailing that will be let off in the pond will be about 850,000 tons per year. About 15 acres of forest land has also been sought for these. UCIL got all what they sought.

UCIL sponsored group carrying different banners supporting UCIL and its activities came and entered in the venue and placed their banners. Some of these banners were carried by small children, who did not understand the meaning of what was written on them. One banner carried by the supporters read: "when compared with hunger, pollution is a small issue. Save UCIL".

When JOAR and other groups carrying their banner trying to enter the venue, UCIL supporters man-handled, few women activist were beaten up and Pargana Charan Murmu was pushed away. He and some others fell down. Police and other security forces were mute spectators to this denial of a place to sit and air their grievances. Finally, the company supporters and the forces pushed the villagers out of the hall.

No one was allowed to enter the hall and allow to speck, in this situation JOAR and other organization decided to boycott the public hearing. We also joined them with shouting slogan – "public hearing is farce"- "stop false public hearing"-" land water and forest is ours" we came out and sat for a Dharna.

UCIL succeeded in convincing the workers that those who were critical of the project were working towards closing down the mining and milling activities in Jadugoda. The slogans shouted by the workers and other beneficiaries and the placards they were carrying all said about saving UCIL. Incidentally, the critics position that they are demanding safe operations for workers, people in the neighborhood and the ecop-system was unheard.

Around 11 AM, the General Manager of UCIL read out a document listing the details of the project. The GM appeared like reading from a science text book. There were technical terms like Becquerel, in his speech. A journalist who was covering the event asked one of us: what does a Becquerel mean? The presentation by the general manger lasted for about 30 minutes. After this, the organizers announced the names of the speakers from the 'public'. Everybody was unanimous on one issue – UCIL provides jobs, food, clothing and houses. All talks about radiation is anti-national propaganda. UCIL has to be protected at any cost. There is no need to hear any viewpoint which is against the interests of the company.

JOAR and other organizations fighting on environmental issues related to radiation, livelihood issues related to loss of land due to mines and contamination of farmlands and water bodies decided to boycott the drama called public hearing, as there was no possibility of presenting the view of the affected people. Ghanashyam Biruli, Dumka Murmu and Charan Murmu of JOAR briefed the press. Among their demands are (a) no new uranium mine (b) bring the existing mine under the international safety guide lines (c) return of tribal land acquired earlier, but not utilized for mining (d) provide livelihood and rehabilitation to the displace people.(f) clean up of the contamination (g) an independent study about the environmental contamination and health effects among the people (h) continuous monitoring of the water bodies to ensure that the radionuclides do not seep into the aquifer, the life line of more than 100,000 people. The activists also reiterated their position that there is no compelling need to expand the capacity of UCIL as the country can now buy uranium from international market.

Ghanshyam Biruli, President JOAR

Dumka Murmu, Secretary JOAR

Charan Murmu, Pargana

VT Padmanabhan, Genetic Epidemiologist, Bangalore

Dr Meher Engineer, Physicist, Ex Director, Bose Institute, Calcutta

Pradip Dutta, Writer and People Science Activist, Calcutta

Shriprakash, Film maker, Ranchi

Note- Please find attachments of comment on the EIA/EMP reports and some pic of hearing

Mittal, Jharkhand is for Adivasis...leave us alone

2009-10-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

Mital stop doing your drama

2009-10-20T21:07:00.003-07:00

Gumla rally against Mittal!

2009-10-20T21:07:00.001-07:00

Mittal go back , go back!!

2009-10-20T21:04:00.001-07:00

We shall fight and win but won't give land

2009-10-20T21:03:00.003-07:00

Mittal, we know how to tackle you...

2009-10-20T21:03:00.001-07:00

Mittal leave us alone!

2009-10-20T21:02:00.003-07:00

Seriously, Mittal go back..

2009-10-20T21:02:00.001-07:00

Mittal, go back...

2009-10-20T21:01:00.001-07:00

Mittal, where are you?

2009-10-20T21:00:00.003-07:00

Mittal are you listening?

2009-10-20T21:00:00.001-07:00

Pictures from Jharkhand about Massive anti mittal rally which all english media and internet based media forgot while covering fashion shows!

2009-10-19T00:00:00.001-07:00

U.K. Agency: Vedanta Project Violates OECD Standards: Now even UK is talking about standards :)

2009-10-15T21:12:00.001-07:00

U.K. Agency: Vedanta Project Violates OECD Standards

By JEFFREY SPARSHOTT

LONDON -- A U.K. government agency said Vedanta Resources PLC violated international standards when it failed to respect the rights of an indigenous group when planning a bauxite mine in the Indian state of Orissa.

"Vedanta failed to put in place an adequate and timely consultation mechanism fully to engage the Dongria Kondh, an indigenous community who would be directly affected by the environmental and health and safety impact of its plans to construct a bauxite mine in the Niyamgiri Hills, Orissa," the U.K. National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises said in a statement Monday.

The agency, part of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, promotes voluntary guidelines for multinational companies adopted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Vedanta rejected the agency's conclusions.

"Vedanta refutes the conclusions of the U.K. NCP and has complied in all respects with the required Indian regulations including consultations with the local community and committed to work closely for the development in the areas of health, education and livelihood," the company said in a statement.

The U.K. office recommended that Vedanta "immediately and adequately engage with the Dongria Kondh, on the construction of the bauxite mine" and that it should include a human and indigenous rights impact assessment in its project management process.

The OECD Guidelines are not legally enforceable on businesses, but OECD members are committed to raising awareness of the Guidelines and implementing the Guidelines' complaint procedure, the agency said.

Vedanta is a FTSE 100 company registered in the U.K. Its subsidiary Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd. has won Indian court approval to proceed with the project.

The company is awaiting a permit from the Indian government before commencing mining operations in Orissa. Last week it said it expected final approval by March and to begin operations soon after.

The bauxite from the mine will feed the company's new alumina refinery at Lanjigarh.

Survival International, an international organization that support tribal groups, filed a complaint under the guidelines in December, 2008, triggering the start of the complaint procedure by the U.K. National Contact Point.

Vedanta's proposed mine site is sacred to the Kondh people, hundreds of whom have been engaged in months of protests and blockades against the mine, Survival said.

State will not lose, others ready to step in, says Governor

2009-10-13T10:07:00.001-07:00

State will not lose, others ready to step in, says Governor

Sonali Das, TNN 13 October 2009, 10:03pm IST

Anti-displacement outfits in the state, led by activist Dayamani Barla, have promised not to allow Mittal to set foot on tribal agricultural land identified by the company at Torpa in Khunti district. ArcelorMittal's corporate communication officials, though, declined to comment on the matter.

Text Size:

RANCHI: Governor K Sankaranarayanan on Tuesday said the state would not lose if investors decided to leave Jharkhand. This comes within days of ArcelorMittal saying the company would look for alternate sites elsewhere in India if land acquisition for its greenfield projects in Jharkhand and Orissa continued to prove difficult.

"If one investor decides to move out, there are others who would be interested," the governor told ToI while ruling out that the 12 million tonne greenfield project would be shifted from Jharkhand.

"Why should the steel company decide to shift its project from Jharkhand if a positive dialogue is held between the company and the villagers, who have to give their land for the project," he said, adding that a meaningful discussion should be held to end the stalemate. "Villagers, who own the land, first have to agree to part with it," the governor added.

"However, if the company still decides to shift how can I help it?" he asked. The governor said the vice-president of ArcelorMittal had recently met him and conveyed that the company had no intention of withdrawing as of now.

Sankaranarayanan, however, expressed the inability to speed up the process of land acquisition for the project, saying only an elected government could do so. "It is a long-drawn procedure and since President's Rule in the state expires in January next year, the acquisition process would not reach a logical conclusion."

The state industry department, however, has taken a serious view of the steel giant's conditional consent to set up its project in the state and asked the Khunti district administration to apprise it of the exact status of land acquisition.

Anti-displacement outfits in the state, led by activist Dayamani Barla, have promised not to allow Mittal to set foot on tribal agricultural land identified by the company at Torpa in Khunti district. ArcelorMittal's corporate communication officials, though, declined to comment on the matter.

ArcelorMittal statement

2009-10-05T06:14:00.001-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sanganeria, Sunanda <Sunanda.Sanganeria@arcelormittal.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Subject: ArcelorMittal statement
To: basu.moushumi@gmail.com, moushumi.basu@rediffmail.com

Following the article on ArcelorMittal's investment plans for India in the Financial Times today, please find below a new statement from Mr. Mittal below to clarify our position and reiterate our commitment to India –

"ArcelorMittal has no plans to quit India. India is an important country for steel demand growth and is an important part of ArcelorMittal's long-term strategic plans. The company continues to work on its two Greenfield projects in Jharkhand and Orissa. However in the event that land acquisition continues to prove difficult, we will start to search for alternate sites in India for our Greenfield projects." - LN Mittal

Regards,

Sunanda

Sunanda Sanganeria I Corporate Communications

ArcelorMittal India Limited

6th Floor, M-6 Plaza, Jasola District Centre

New Delhi - 110025, India

T - + 91 99101 11453 I F + 91 1146759491

E - sunanda.sanganeria@arcelormittal.com

www.arcelormittal.com

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. ArcelorMittal encourages environmental awareness

UPDATE: Mittal may exit Orissa, J'khand plans over delays: Please leave us alone Mr. Mittal, Thank you!

2009-10-05T02:49:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: Mittal may exit Orissa, J'khand plans over delays

Press Trust of India / London/ Ranchi October 5, 2009, 14:59 IST

ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel maker, has threatened to abandon its $20 billion steel projects in two Indian states over delays, but one of the states said that progress was indeed plagued by gaps in communication.

Shortly after the merger of Mittal Steel with Arcelor in 2006, Mittal had announced plans for a 12-mtpa steel plant in Orissa and thereafter an identical project in Jharkhand. But work on acquiring land for the projects hit a wall of opposition from locals."If we cannot make progress in these two sites we will have to abandon the idea of starting the projects there and look for other places in India for our expansion," ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal told British dailyFinancial Times.

"The government can facilitate a dialogue... But the steel company has to purchase land from the villagers by winning their confidence... It seems there is a big communication gap between ArcelorMittal and the villagers" Jharkhand's Industry Director Aradhana Patnaik said.

The newspaper quoted Mittal as saying that the delays in persuading farmers and others to sell the land required for building the plants were "unacceptable" to the company.

Though the preparatory work has been under way for two years, the financial effect of abandoning the plants would be "negligible" since no land had so far been acquired and no building work has been done, Mittal added.

"The company has to come forward and convince the villagers that the plant will bring jobs, hospitals, educational institutes, roads and development of their villages," Patnaik said.

She cited the examples of Tata Steel, Electro Steel, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, which have acquired private land at their own initiative.

ArcelorMittal had planned to invest Rs 42,000 crore for a 12-mtpa greenfield steel plant and had identified land in the villages of Khunti and Gumla in mineral-rich Jharkhand.

Authorities in Jharkhand have reportedly identified 1,015 acre government land in Gumla for the steel major.

On Saturday, a group headed by Adivasi-Moolvasi Raksha Manch Convenor Dayamani Barla, had submitted a memorandum to the director stating that they would not 'budge an inch from their ancestral land'.

The Manch had claimed that the land falling under Kamdara (Gumla), Torpa (Khunti) blocks was covered under the Chhotnagapur Tenancy Act which protects tribal land from sale.

"Lakshmi Mittal is close to pulling out of a $20 billion plan to build two large steel plants in India the centrepiece of efforts by one of the world's most prominent industrialists to expand in the country of his birth," the Financial Times said.

VEDANTA'S KILLER CHIMNEY AT KORBA -- A BRIEF REPORT

2009-10-01T05:39:00.001-07:00

Brief Preliminary Report

Vedanta's Killer Chimney

at KORBA in Chhattisgarh, India

A group of Journalists, social activists, Trade Union leaders and activists, Human Rights Activists, Advocates etc from all over the state visited Vedanta owned Balco on a fact finding mission in to the under construction 220 meter high chimney that collapsed killing many workers.

The team members met the General Manager cum PRO of Balco who tried to impress upon the members of the fact finding team that it was an unusual incident in which due to lightning that is not seen in the area since last about 26-30 year because of which the chimney collapsed at about 4 PM of 23^rd Sept, 09. He was very much sure that there are no more dead bodies as the removal of the debris has reached to the ground level and as such there was no need to do any further digging. He also added that even District collector Mr. Agarwal also agreed to them and ordered to stop the rescue work at about 12 noon of 28-09-2009. He stated that in all 41 dead bodies have been found which are sent to their homes. On asking the list of the workers who were at the site at the time of accident, his reply was not satisfactory as he tried to put the ball in the court of SEPCO and GDCL. Not a single officer of SEPCO or GDCL was available as all of them fled away immediately of the accident taking place. Even the names and addresses of the workers whose dead bodies have been sent home was not available with him, since they were very busy with relief and rescue work from the moment the accident took place. He stated that we wanted to inspect the accident site where he arranged the company photographer to take us to the site of accident.

One staff of the company escorted us from one gate to another where our entry was denied. The effort of the staff was falling on deaf ears of the security staff of the company at the gates that were heavily guarded by the armed state police personnel. It took almost one and half hour before finally we were allowed to go in side the campus thanks to the company staff who did his best to convince those officers to let us go in. After crossing the main gate, there was another gate that was under the guard of the security services of the company.

Finally when we reached the site of accident, we found that few police officers and staff were busy in fixing tapes to cordon off the area where heaps of rubbish of cement concrete and iron rods entangled with each other were seen. We are of the opinion that the time of one and half hour was taken so as show off that the area is sealed and that no activity is allowed there.

We interacted with some of the workers who have seen with their own eyes the sudden collapse of the 220-meter high chimney that was under construction. As per their statement, chimney, which has a 60 meters or more diameter at the base, sank down in the soil all of a sudden, split apart and collapsed. All happened within one and half minute blowing cement dust in that area. Rains were there but the lightning of the magnitude that the company claims is totally ruled out. We also interacted with the trade union leaders, Journalists at Korba who had covered the news by visiting the site since the incident happened. We came to know that all the staff of GDCL, SEPCO and Balco has run away from the site and were not seen at the site.

We tried to contact District Collector and also Superintendent of Police but were not available. We were surprised to note that not a single arrest has been made till now, though under Factories Act, the occupier and the owner of the company are to be arrested immediately.

The interim report will be published soon before we come out with a final report. However, in the mean time, I am to state that the fact-finding team is of the firm opinion that there were minimum 180 workers working within the chimney at the top and at the base. There were about 60 outside at 3 stores and one canteen. There was one hydra and a miller machine that was also covered under the debris. Only top of the hydra machine was visible.

The chimney has sunk below the soil where in the base there were almost 100 workers but that portion which has sunk is not excavated. There is every chance of many more dead bodies than that of what has been found so far. There were 12 Benches within the walls of chimney at the base where in each bench machine 3 workers were working and about 25 workers were supplying them the material.

The statement of Vedanta P.R.O. is false, misleading and an effort to hide the truth to save their skin. There is an urgent need to excavate the entire area over which the base was constructed. The lightning theory put forward by Vedanta is also ruled out. The interim report will carry more details. Role of district administration so far leads us to believe that a hand in glove approach exists between them and the Vedanta management. There is a strong need for an impartial inquiry at the earliest.

Pravin Patel

Human Rights Activist

Member- Fact Finding team

on Vedanta's chimney disaster

Anti-Mittal cry grows louder

2009-09-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

Anti-Mittal cry grows louder

Talking to The Telegraph Barla warned that the seething villagers were getting more and more impatient with the state as they felt that industrialisation was a threat to indigenous culture and values. "We are not going to sit idle," she added.

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Ranchi, Sept. 30: Residents of over 40 gram panchayat sabhas in Khunti today submitted a memorandum to the industry director, Aradhana Patnaik, protesting against the ArcelorMittal land acquisition bid to set up the Torpa steel plant.

In the memorandum of demands, the villagers vowed to fight "till the end" to safeguard their right over water, forest and land (jal, jungle aur zameen).

The letter was forwarded by the co-ordinator of the Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch, Dayamani Barla.

The demands included that the state government halt land transfer in Torpa block immediately and that the ryot rights over villages that has been granted to ArcelorMittal is declared null and void.

Citing provisions under the Chhotanagpur Tenanacy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act, the residents argued that the villages' tribal communities were the "real owners" of the water, forest and land in the area. Thus, the government had no right to transfer these.

The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, too, upholding the "traditional rights of the tribals" was quoted in the letter.

Instead of setting up new industries in the area, the residents have demanded that waters from Koel, Karo and Chhata be made available to farmers for agriculture.

Copies of the memorandum were also sent to the governor and industry secretary.

On September 14, members of 32 gram sabha had submitted a similar memorandum to Khunti deputy commissioner, while on September 22, yet another was shot off to the Gumla deputy commissioner.

Talking to The Telegraph Barla warned that the seething villagers were getting more and more impatient with the state as they felt that industrialisation was a threat to indigenous culture and values. "We are not going to sit idle," she added.

ArcelorMittal plans to start a 12MT greenfield steel plant in Torpa and Kamdara blocks and needs 8,000 acres for the projects. According to members of Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch, several farmers from the 32 villages of Khunti and Gumla would be displaced if the firm goes ahead with its plan.

Some samples of Tribal art from Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal: We should build something similar in Jharkhand

2009-09-28T08:45:00.001-07:00

ArcelorMittal looks for new site in J'Khand

2009-09-22T21:44:00.001-07:00

ArcelorMittal looks for new site in J'Khand

ArcelorMittal had applied for about 11,000 acres in Khunti and Gumla districts, but the government has offered 1,025 acres. Opposing the government move, the Manch chief activist, Dayamani Barla, explained that the Manch's opposition was "in line with the sentiments of the people of the area".

She said: "We are not ready to give an inch of land to the project and our agitation will continue till the company formally announces its pullout from the area. Till now, there has been no word from the company or the government."

23 Sep 2009, 0222 hrs IST, Navtan Kumar & Rakhi Mazumdar, ET Bureau
Print EMail Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
RANCHI/KOLKATA: Facing stiff resistance from villagers in Khunti and Gumla of Jharkhand, ArcelorMittal is understood to be seriously

contemplating some alternative site for its ambitious 12-mtpa project in the state.

No decisions have been taken so far, but sources said all options are being kept open. ET had got in touch with Sudhir Maheshwari, member of ArcelorMittal's group management board, which is responsible for M&A and business development, on the issue.

In reply, the company stated: "We remain committed to our current site in Jharkhand, but we will always consider other back-up options to ensure project completion. A series of pro-active CSR programmes is being carried out in the area focusing on health, education, capacity building and livelihood."

As intense anti-project protests continue, spearheaded by the Adivasi Moolvasi Astitiva Raksha Manch, state industry secretary NN Sinha said any company facing such a stalemate situation would consider an alternative site definitely. He clarified that no formal communication from ArcelorMittal's side had been received yet.

Speaking to ET, Mr Sinha said: "Senior company officials have been assuring us that they remain committed to the Jharkhand project. We also have information that the company has been doing several activities under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. But the fact that they have made little headway on the land acquisition front might force them to shift to some other location." Company sources here said: "The MoU with the state government was signed in 2005, but till now we have not got land. In this situation, there is no harm in keeping an eye open for some other option."

Meanwhile, there is speculation that the alternative, if at all, could be somewhere in the Seraikela-Kharsawan, East Singhbhum or West Singhbhum districts. These areas too were apparently shortlisted by the company initially and are home to a large number of industrial units, including those of Tata Steel.

ArcelorMittal had applied for about 11,000 acres in Khunti and Gumla districts, but the government has offered 1,025 acres. Opposing the government move, the Manch chief activist, Dayamani Barla, explained that the Manch's opposition was "in line with the sentiments of the people of the area".

She said: "We are not ready to give an inch of land to the project and our agitation will continue till the company formally announces its pullout from the area. Till now, there has been no word from the company or the government."

So, till the company formally moves on to any alternative site or the Manch decides to budge, the stalemate is likely to continue.

Mittal may have to shift steel plant in Jharkhand : May he see light at the end of the tunnel?

2009-09-21T22:11:00.001-07:00

Mittal may have to shift steel plant in Jharkhand

TNN 22 September 2009, 03:31am IST

Ever since the company decided to set up its 12 million tonne steel plant in the district as proposed in its MoU with the Jharkhand government in October 2005, various groups led by a tribal journalist-turned-activist, Dayamani Balra, have strongly opposed industrialization of their `jal jungle and zameen' (land, forest and water) and are not willing to compromise on any issue with the steel tycoon.

|
RANCHI/ JAMSHEDPUR: The steel giant Arcelor Mittal is all set to do what the Tatas did in Singur. Sources said the company was considering shifting its proposed Rs 40,000 crore greenfield integrated steel plant project from Torpa in Khunti district to another location within the state following stiff resistance by anti-displacement groups in the area.

Ever since the company decided to set up its 12 million tonne steel plant in the district as proposed in its MoU with the Jharkhand government in October 2005, various groups led by a tribal journalist-turned-activist, Dayamani Balra, have strongly opposed industrialization of their `jal jungle and zameen' (land, forest and water) and are not willing to compromise on any issue with the steel tycoon.

Industry secretary N N Sinha told reporters in Jamshedpur on Monday that the company might consider relocation of its plant if the stalemate continued. Sources said the groups are not prepared to compromise or negotiate on the issue of displacement or rehabilitation. The company, sources said, is not considering taking the project out of the state. Hiowever, an alternative site in Jharkhand is yet to be decided, sources added.

The Singur unrest was different: the government had forcefully acquired land for the Tatas. But in this case, the government has not used any force for acquiring land nor does it intend to do so in future, sources pointed out.

Speaking to TOI, Balra however said she would continue her struggle against displacement no matter where the Mittals decided to shift their project. "It is the question of survival of tribal heritage, our land, rivers and forests,'' she said, adding that the people in the villages have been protecting these and will continue to do so in the future.

Balra, however, said she had no objection to development or industrialization provided steel plants or power projects were set up on wastelands. "The industrialists have no right to take away our agricultural land,'' she reiterated.

ArcelorMittal needs about 6,000 acres of land for the proposed project.

Emissaries of Arcelor Mittal driven out from Torpa

2009-09-15T03:15:00.001-07:00

RANCHI | Saturday, August 22, 2009 | Email | Print |

Emissaries of Arcelor Mittal driven out from Torpa

Moushumi Basu | Ranchi

The world steel giant, Arcelor Mittal, which has proposed to set up a 12 MTPA steel plant in the State, was caught on the wrong foot once again. The emissaries of the company from the Rinchi Hospital in the State capital, deputed for carrying out CSR activities in the health sector on the proposed sites were driven out by the villagers from the Torpa area, on Friday.

The five-member team was let off only after they produced a written undertaking undersigned by them that they would not be seen here again.

The team that had arrived in an ambulance for the distribution of medicines in the villages was intercepted near Kulda village, in Torpa block. Incidentally, it was caught in the rally of the villagers from the four blocks of Torpa, Rania, Karra and Kamdarra in the twin districts of Khunti and Gumla. It was under the banner of the Adivasi Moolvaasi Asthitva Raksha Manch (AMARM), in protest against the proposed steel plant. Leading the rally was the vociferous social activist Dayamani Barla.

When questioned by the villagers, the visitors admitted that they had been authorised by the Mittals, for the distribution of medicines amongst the villagers, as a part of health activities. "When we are opposing the entry of Mittal, in the area, how can we allow its authorised agency and ambulance to make way into the villages", shot back Barla.

Further, the vehicle did not even bear a number plate, pointed out Arun Topno, a local villager, adding that they were held by the villagers for half an hour and were allowed to go after they gave us a written bond of never to come back again. It was undersigned by Dr. SK Mishra, Lav Kush Verma, Surendra, besides two staff nurses.

Meanwhile, amidst heavy downpour the villagers shouted anti-slogans as "To- To No- No Aagua, Karkhana Kabua..." (We will plough our fields... we do not want factory) "Sarna Sake Abua" (Forests and religious places are our's…) against the world steel giant. Leaving aside their fields and sowing, they paraded for at least 2.5 kms from Kulda village to the Torpa Hill Chowk. Later, the rally converged into a meeting in the Torpa block campus.

The speakers including Barla herself, advocate Dhanik Guria, Rejan Topno, Sicilia Topno, addressed the meeting, reiterating the resolve that they would not part even with an inch of land, for the proposed plant. Later, a memorandum was submitted to the DC Khunti along with the CO and BDO, Torpa.

Their prominent demands include that the provisions of CNT Act should not be violated at any cost. The displacement of Adivasis and native population must be stopped and the waters of the traditional rivers of the region, Koel, Karo and Chata be supplied to the farmers for the development of both agriculture and environment. The corporate companies should not be allowed to be made owners of their land.

MINING-INDIA: Woman Leads Tribals Against World's Steel Maker

2009-09-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

MINING-INDIA: Woman Leads Tribals Against World's Steel Maker

Posted by admin on September 12, 2009

By Gagandeep Johar
NEW DELHI, Sep 12 (IPS) The fight against the world's biggest
steel maker, ArcelorMittal, is being waged from a tiny tea stall in
Ranchi, eastern India.

It is run by Dayamani Barla, a journalist and activist, and is the office
of the Adivasi Moolvaasi Ashthitva Raksha Manch (AMARM), which loosely
translates as a platform for the protection of the rights and identity of
indigenous peoples.

As AMARM'S convenor, Barla, in her forties, is at the forefront
of a campaign to stop an 8.2 billion dollar steel plant project by
transnational ArcelorMittal that will uproot 40 villages and 70,000
indigenous people in mineral-rich Jharkhand state.

The global steel giant has been allocated vast coal blocks and iron ore
sites. Dense forests and rivers will be obliterated by the mining. Ancient
ways of life practiced by tribals will be lost forever.

"The project will displace not just 70,000 aboriginals but 70,000
generations of people," says Barla. "Our culture, social values
are linked to our jungles and cannot be replaced."

The project to build one of the world's biggest steel mills was
launched by stealth in 2005. Unknown to villagers, ArcelorMittal, which
wants 12,000 acres of land, conducted a land survey.

Barla, who has written on tribal and Dalit rights issues for 10 years in
Prabhat Khabar, an influential Hindi-language daily, stumbled on a map of
Jharkhand in a block officer's cabin, where 40 villages,
including her own, were marked. Further investigations revealed the
markings constituted the project area of a proposed steel plant.

For four years, Barla has travelled from village to village alerting
villagers of their impending displacement. "We want development but
not at our cost," she is emphatic. "I have worked against
displacement for a long time now and my research shows displaced people
don't have proper lives. They loose their sense of belonging."

In the nineties, Barla was involved with the massive protests against the
ambitious Koel-Karo hydropower project in Jharkhand. Faced with
unrelenting opposition, the government was forced to shelve the plan in
2000.

Jharkhand's tribals are well acquainted with the irreversibility
of displacement. A power project in the early sixties - the state-run
Heavy Engineering Corporation in the Hatiya region, set up in
collaboration with Soviet and German help - had uprooted 36 villages
belonging to the Uraanv, Munda and Khadia 'adivasis'
(indigenous people). The villagers are still rootless.
Only 5 percent of people uprooted by so-called development projects in
Jharkhand have ever been resettled, says Barla.

The pressure on tribal and forest lands has multiplied since the nineties,
when India opened its economy and international and Indian industries
flocked to Jharkhand to exploit its mineral wealth,

AMARM has taken an oath that no village will be uprooted by ArcelorMittal.
The next move will be litigation against the transnational giant, she
says, but doesn't divulge details.

Barla, and her husband Nelson who previously owned a paan (betel leaves)
stall, plot strategy with activist comrades in their tea stall-cum-office,
Jharkhand Hotel on Ranchi's Club Road. Tea stalls are gathering
places in India.

"Every villager contributes one muthi (fist) of rice and one rupee,
each time a mass agitation is planned," says Barla. When 15,000
people camped in Ranchi, among Jharkhand's big cities, in March
2008 for weeks, AMARM was able to feed them day after day.

"The day we take outside funds, the movement will break," she
says.

Barla who has a masters in commerce from Ranchi University, is a self-made
woman. Born in Arahara village, Gumla district, she went to Ranchi at the
age of 13. Her father's fields were taken away by moneylenders,
and the family "disintegrated", she recounts.

"My family disintegrated because we couldn't fight the
moneylenders. My father had to work as a daily wager; my brother went to
Ranchi to work as a coolie (labourer). Even I worked for other farmers
before I left for Ranchi," she says.

For the first two years in the unfamiliar city, she lived with her brother
in a cattle shed - the only thing they could afford - and scraped together
a living as a domestic worker. She washed dishes and mopped floors before
and after school in several houses, she says. When she completed grade 10
(in 1984) she began tutoring children at home - stopping only when she
graduated from college.

The rigours of her early life have given her confidence to pursue her
dream, she says.

Barla became a journalist because "Dalit, tribal and women's
issues were not really addressed in the media," she says. She
dedicated her life in the cause of her people who, she says, have suffered
because of lack of education.

"I was clear from the very beginning that I want to fight for my
people. My parents were exploited because they were not educated and were
uninformed. I didn't want anybody in my community to suffer for not
being educated."

Barla's entry in her blog on Mar. 19, 2009 says: "We need food
grains, not steel. Jharkhand is ours not a jagir (fiefdom) of any company.
We want development, not industry."

Inevitably AMARM's fight is compared with the Narmada Bachao
Andolan (NBA), the long-running movement to save the Narmada river in
central India led by Medha Patkar, the 1992 winner of the Alternative
Nobel Prize.

"Our movement is different from NBA's in the sense that
there was no protest in the beginning but it happened later over the
height of the dam," she says. "Here we are protesting from the
very beginning that we will not give our land on any condition."

"Ek inch bhi zameen nahi denge (We won't give even an inch
of our land)," she concludes.

Filed Under: From IPSNews

The ChhotaNagpur Tenancy Act states that agricultural land cannot be sold or transferred to a non-Adivasi....

2009-08-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

The Inheritors Of Loss

Dayamani Barla, an adivasi activist and leader from Jharkhand states, "The ChhotaNagpur Tenancy Act states that agricultural land cannot be sold or transferred to a non-Adivasi and certainly not for commercial purposes in adivasi belts".

Who will benefit from the Land Acquisition Act and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act: the people or corporate India? Asks Manshi Asher

The mainstream media cannot stop talking about how Mamata Bannerjee has thrown the spanner in the works for the two most crucial proposed legislations - the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) Amendment Bill and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Bill 2007 which is causing undue delay in bringing about a "greater balance" between needs of the land owners versus requirements of industry. Notwithstanding that this realization has dawned a century too late, the belief that passing of these two bills in their current form will lead to a resolution of land "disputes", is seriously misplaced. Firstly, the articulation of this problem of displacement, which has now assumed crisis proportion in the country, as merely a dispute between two parties with conflict of interest is flawed. What we are seeing here is systematic, not to mention forced, transfer of land and other resources from farmers, agricultural labourers, fishworkers, tenants to profit making entities with the government acting as an intermediary. Secondly, Mamata didi is not the only one who is aghast at the solution being offered to this crisis.

Photos: SHAILENDRA PANDEY

On 23rd and 24th July 2009, more than a thousand representatives of displaced people and those facing threat of displacement gathered at Jantar Mantar in the capital to oppose the two Bills as they stand. People losing their resources to dams, mines, SEZs, highways and infrastructure projects from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharshtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal, sent out a clear message 'No more displacement'. This got little media attention. Not unusual because for the last few decades 'development' displaced people have been trying to make their voice be heard and little heed has been paid to their demand for repeal of the LAA and introduction of a comprehensive legislation that makes place for just development where the displaced are not merely treated as collateral damage.

"There has to be recognition that there has been historical injustice where millions of people have been displaced without any recognition of their rights and the government must bring out a white paper on the on Land Acquisition, Displacement and Rehabilitation for the last 60 years" said Ashok Chowdhary, leader of the National Forum for Forest People and Workers in his address at the protest meet.

It was in the backdrop of several local and national movements over two decades that a process of consultation began with the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the UPA's last tenure in 2005. The outcome was a comprehensive development policy document that looked at the key issues of displacement and rehabilitation and was to evolve into legislation. The critical elements of the NAC draft included a provision of prior informed consent of the 'gram sabha' in the land acquisition process; challenging eminent domain and limiting the definition of 'public purpose'; land for land lost; and making rehabilitation available notwithstanding the number of displaced persons. The government however did a u-turn by introducing the National Rehabilitation Policy 2006 drafted by the Ministry of Rural Development which discarded the key principles that existed in the NAC draft. It is this policy that then took form of the R&R Bill 2007 with its twin bill that sought amendment in the LAA of 1894.

Apart from completely negating the consultative process that had taken place earlier these bills contained clauses that were entirely contrary to the objective of protecting the interests of the affected people. The amendment to the LAA 1894 seeks to expand the definition of 'public purpose' to enable acquisition for private parties for a variety of activities ranging from infrastructure projects to airports, mines or "any other purpose useful". "This is simply unacceptable because it strengthens eminent domain of the state that too for purely private interests and thus undermines the constitutional rights of the people" adds Medha Patkar, leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan and National Alliance of People's Movements.

Further, most objectionable clauses of the original LAA 1894 have been retained. For instance, the "urgency clause", under section 17, which allows land to be acquired without a hearing on objections, is still there. "What use is this amendment for us if they cannot do away with draconian provisions?" says Guman Singh of the Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, Himachal Pradesh siting the example of the Renuka Dam project where the section is being used to coerce the affected people into selling their lands. He also challenges the eligibility criteria for rehabilitation, which has been fixed as 200 families enmasse being displaced for hill areas. "In mountain areas habitations are scattered and in case of hydropower projects the direct displacement is smaller but the impact area can be the population of the entire river valley which will never be considered as "affected" under these laws " adds Guman.

The most debatable clause of the LAA amendment requires that private entities directly purchase 70% of the land from the owners, after which the government will 'acquire' the rest under the provisions of the two acts. This has been made to sound fair but will create a new set of complications as the provisions, like social impact assessment (SIA) study and eligibility for R%R, would only apply to 30% of the affected population whose land has been acquired by the state. This obviously means that the SIA is not really mandatory for the entire project and public opinion will not be a deciding factor in whether the project is socially feasible or acceptable. The 70:30 provision legitimises land grab and seriously undermines existing legislations like those on Land Ceiling or PESA that protect community rights over land. Dayamani Barla, an adivasi activist and leader from Jharkhand states, "The ChhotaNagpur Tenancy Act states that agricultural land cannot be sold or transferred to a non-Adivasi and certainly not for commercial purposes in adivasi belts".

But the critique of the present bills is not just about the definition of public purpose or the 70:30 clause on land acquisition. "When has 'land acquisition' ever been a people's agenda? The establishment of community control over resources and their legal legitimacy is what the people want. This is a pre-condition for any land", asserts activist-researcher C.R.Bijoy.

"A detailed land use plan down to the level of the panchayat should be prepared for each State and passed by the Assembly. Any acquisition of land or large-scale land use change should be in compliance with the State level land use plan" states a submission made by the Campaign for Survival and Dignity, to the Parliamentary Standing Committee (PSC) on Rural Development who reviewed the two bills last year with representations from various ministries, state government and people's groups.

The PSC presented its reports on both the bills to the Lok Sabha in October 2008 but there was little debate on them and recommendations from the report were not incorporated in the bills that the Lok Sabha passed in its March 2009 session. The bills could not clear the vote at the Rajya Sabha then. Now the UPA, under pressure to deal with land acquisition problems being faced by projects, is attempting to bring in the bills once again in their current form.

People's movements have rejected the bills in their present form and are demanding that the NAC draft be brought back or the bills be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee and concerns be adequately incorporated. Yes, there will be further delay. But till the root of this ailment disease is treated the right to reject band-aid remedies must be reserved with those who suffer.

manshi.asher@gmail.com

Posted on Aug 28, 2009

Protest in Torpa against a Mittal plot to uproot the Adivasis and capture their wealth..

2009-08-27T03:49:00.001-07:00

Analysis of Relief and Rehabilitation Policy: Dayamani Barla

2009-08-15T10:02:00.001-07:00

Analysis of Relief and Rehabilitation Policy: Dayamani Barla

A Big thump on the back to Urvi Sukul Singh for translating Dayamaniji's article into English :) . Some letters she wrote to officials are in this link :). Note: we did not know the exact translation for some of the words. In such cases, we added a "??" suffix. Do please leave a comment if you know the correct translation.

SWEET POISON

The Jharkhand government-sponsored establishment of Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy 2008 is like a sweet poison.The reasons are not far to seek—founded on loot and plunder and a corruption-ridden political-administrative nexus, this arrangement—in the name of development—seeks the supreme sacrifice of displacement from the inheritors of the Jharkhand land.

The sweet poison of resettlement is a sure death for the said peoples. The welfare of water-forest-land linked societies is a matter of serious reflection for the intellectuals, social organizations and advocates of sustainable development. This policy, which was tabled in the Cabinet on 16th July, makes a good read and has all the right sound bites but it cannot to stand up to the harsh realities of life, i.e. it is not pragmatic. This bitter experience is also courtesy the dispensation of the RR policy.

The compensation, jobs, shares, debentures, pucca housing,1% share in the company's net income, subsistence allowance, gains from annual "possessions"(??) (deposits??), is just a pipe dream.This policy also touches upon social resettlement whereas it is well-known that the Adivasi-basic farmer's social, economic, cultural and religious-spiritual existence cannot be resettled nor can it ever be compensated.

The policy mentions that if 100 or more families have been involuntarily/forcibly displaced, the State government will, by notification, appoint as Resettlement and Rehabilitation Commissioner, an official of the level of Deputy Commissioner/Collector or "anyoon"(??) level. The implementation of resettlement and rehabilitation will be supervised by the Development Commissioner (the Presiding Officer), Secretary Road Building Department, Secretary Industries Department, Secretary Health Department, Secretary Energy Department, Secretary Labour and Employment Department, Secretary "Vidhi"(??) Law?? Department and associated Commissioners. There will also be Parliamentary and State Legislative members. It's amply clear that the control and management of the various development programmes, the Indira Housing, NREGA programme, "Aabantit"(??) "Antyodaya"(??) for the poor, food programmes and many others, has always lain in the hands of these officials.

The history of loot and plunder is witness to the fact that development is limited to the mansions of political leaders, government administrative officials, contractors and middlemen. The policy states that the company will make available the funds for the resettlement and rehabilitation programmes to the Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administrator. In the coming days, it is this very army of looters who will hold sway over the benefits meant for the displaced tribals. The Resettlement and Rehabilitation policy is preparing the ground for this scenario.

Those who point to the gains from these policies should acquaint themselves with the historical perspective, wherein the protection of Constitutional rights and the development of Jharkhand's Adivasis, Dalits and the needy, has been ensured by the enactment of dozens of laws. The Chotta Nagpur Tenancy Act 1908 (hereinafter referred to as the "CNT Act") and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act (hereinafter referred to as the "SPT Act") were enacted for the protection of the lands and forests of the State's Adivasis. There is a clear provision in both these Acts that Adivasi/tribal land cannot be sold nor transferred to a non-Adivasi or outsider.

However, in the 50 years since those laws were enacted, 80% of Adivasi land has been alienated--snatched from the tribals by hook or by crook. The present RR Act has been made in total disregard to and in complete violation of the CNT Act and the SPT Act.

Section 46 of the CNT Act states that agricultural land cannot be sold or transferred to a non-Adivasi and certainly not for industrial purposes.

After Independence, India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had formulated the Panchsheel doctrine for the protection of water-land-forests, social history and identity of Adivasis, Dalits and farmers.But this doctrine hasn't seen the light of day. The 5th and 6th Schedule Areas have been given special powers.However, none of the laws have been implemented.In 1956, the Bokaro Steel Plant was established, in 1966-HEC, from 1986-96-the Chandel Dam was built and UCL was established in Jamshedpur—all these units are on the list of benign Indian government establishments.

Let it be known that at the time of the land requisition, all these establishments: were governed by resettlement and rehabilitation laws;that under the policy's dispensation, every displaced family had been promised jobs, model rehabilitation and the prospect of training-apprenticeship.Reality, however, panned out differently--instead of giving the displaced jobs and other benefits , the reign of the R and R policy-associated officials , brokers and mafia continued to hold sway, leading to the displaced literally begging on the roadside.

In the draft copy's 6/10, it has been said that the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Officer will ensure that as far as possible , affected families will be resettled in group/s in such resettlement areas. The question is, how is it possible to reestablish a traditional village?A village or society does not just mean a cluster of houses. A village is one where there are 30-40 tamarind trees, 50-60 jackfruit trees, dozens of koynar shrubs, dozens of bamboo bushes, dozens of koynar, putkal, bair , neva, kachnar, dumair and dahu shrubs, ankola,bael,tut and karanja shrubs, bo-didi-khandaani pathlgadi, sasandiri, gundar gaddaha. Inevery khoir-gulley, easily and cheaply grown vegetables and greens such as kudri larang, bottle gourd, konhada, ghonghra, jhinga, bitter gourd, semalsi, munagapechaki, ol,aaru, turmeric,somkanda atta—should be freely available. Villagers have, never in their lives, bought toothbrushes.Dozens of wells, chuvas, lakes, rivers, nullahs, sarnas, masnas and akhras---that is what a village is. Its worth cannot be measured against any compensation amount, nor can it be re-established. The policy defines that every displaced family will be rehabilitated by giving them 10 decimal in rural and 5 decimal in town areas.Also mentioned is the fact that every displaced family will get a fully-constructed house with 2 rooms, a kitchen, one dag(drawing?) room and one latrine-bathroom. The question arises, how is the next generation of a husband-wife with five small children to be accommodated in these 10 decimals? A village home means—a biggish chaupariya one,which in comparson with a townhouse. Will have 5-6 rooms.Next door would be a separate cowshed for the bullocks and one for buffalaoes, a goatshed for the goats, a pen for pigs and a coop for hens and ducks. Adjoining the house, a kaanda baari, kundri maacha and puval maacha are mandatory. So the question is –will a family stay in these 10 decimals or their animals?

6.23 states that, with regard to the rehabilitation grant given to each displaced family, the option will be given of taking upto 50% of the amount's arjankari collection's shares or debentures or both. 7.13.1 states that 1% of the company's net profit will be given to the affected families. However, related to this fact many basic questions arise without honestly addressing which, it is difficult to infer that this policy will truly improve the future of Jharkhandis. In fact, it would be tremendously unjust to the cause of the displaced.Even today, 95% are farmers in villages, whose earning, social and economic organization, linguistic-cultural identity and very existence are all inextricably interwoven with Jharkhand's rivers-mountains, forests-lands, trees-plants, grasslands, flowers-fruits and the very circle of life in nature. Their lifestyle consisting of 6months raising crops infields and the remaining 6 months in the greenery amidst fruits and flowers is a lesson in sustainable development and environmental security. Jackfruit, mango, jamun, tamarind, putkal, koynar. Mahua-dori, chaar-piyaar, kendu-sarai, karanj-laah, kusum, karaonji, datum-patai, rugda-khunkari are the economic backbone of the village. Every village has jackfruit, mango-jamun, the yield of tamarind, bamboo and mahua trees provide the cash crops of every village.Every year rural farmer familiesearn lakhs of rupees from these crops.Pay heed that in season, the yield of these trees earn at the rate of rupees per kilo is as follows: for Karanja-Rs 10/-, Mahua-Rs 15/-, Chironji-Rs 500/-,Aamsi Rs 65/-, dry Puthal edible leaves Rs 150/-.A farmer can earn annually Rs 15,000/- to 20,000/- from a tamarind tree and Rs 5,000/- from a jackfruit tree. How can any compensation be adequate in this context? For rural areas the reality is that the occupation of 5% of the society's positional and original inhabitants is 100% nature and forest produce-based.

The policy states that every displaced person will be employed. The question is that even today 80% of the villagers are illiterate and many villages don't even have a single matriculate. The blame for this state of things lies squarely on the government and its organization—not on the villagers. Realise this, that today in many rural areas, the post of science teachers has been lying vacant in many ("utkamit"?) schools, because there is a severe shortage of science students in this area. Given this picture of the education situation, how many adivasis and farmers are in a position to understand the bubble of a company's net profit and shares-debentures? Now as for the giving of jobs—given the qualifications requisite of candidates for jobs and appointments in the plants of the positioned companies, how many technical holders, mechanical engineers,ITI-qualified , computer-savvy are there in this area? Some will get jobs—and have to retire in 30 years' time. It has been said that 1% of the company's net profit will be given to affected families. I'm curious to know, who is going to keep track of the company's profit-loss profile? It is universally known that all business establishments always show losses to keep themselves economically secure.

The 7/11 states that in every displaced family, one member will be given a job.However, Adivasi indigenous families are farmers and, therefore, believe in large families. Thus, how is it possible for one man to provide for a family of 15-16 members? The present position is that one man will get a job only for 30 years, whereas forests and lands have fed and clothed and housed entire families for generations. The 7/12 states that the families to whom employment hasn't beenprovide, will be given(in lieu of their lands), Rs 100/- per acre for 30 years and this will be dispensed through the annual policy to the (prati ekal'?) per acre(??) families.

Take, for example, a 10-member family whose 5 acres of land have been requisitioned. This family is going to get a monthly amount of Rs 5000/- in lieu of land without putting in a day's work for it! It has to be kept in mind that, henceforth, such a family has depend on this amount for buying its requirements and for fulfilling all social obligations such as chatti-barhi (celebrations at birth), education and marriage. Is that possible? This annual policy amount can also be referred to as the pension from land. Bigger farmers are under the wrong impression—if their calculation is based on the figure of Rs 1000/- as compensation per acre—that if 15-20 acres of their land has been acquired, they will receive 15,000-20,000 per month. The policy says that under the annual policy, the maximum amount per month per month will be limited to Rs 10,000 per month per family/ This policy states that—for one year, the monthly subsistence allowance given will be equivalent to minimum farm labour of 25 out of 30 days. This has to be seen and questioned in the context of the fact that for the last 3 years, the central government's multi-faceted National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has already been in operation. The Act establishing this programme provides that from the day a farm labourer fills the NREGA form, if he isn't employed for 15 days, he will become eligible for 50 days of unemployment allowance. The direct responsibility for the execution of this programme lies on a whole phalanx of functionaries , from the Prime Minister to the Chief Minister and from the BDO(Block Development Officer) to the Panchayat helpers and Gains Committee ("Laabhuk Samiti"??) The state of this plan is universally known. The murder of the young man, Lalit Mehta, who started the proper implementation of this scheme and the suicide of Hazaribagh's Tapas Soren, have revealed to the world just how cruel and unkind the reign of loot and plunder really is. Then, only time will tell how difficult it will be for the displaced to get monthly subsistence allowance equivalent to minimum farmer's wage. The policy's 7.2 states that each displaced family will receive in a carpet living area approximating 100 square metres, a maximum of 10 decimals(disimil??) land in rural areas and 5 decimals land in towns. On this ground, the displaced will be given a built(pucca) house with 2 rooms , a drawing room and a kitchen.Whoever doesn't want the land and built-up house, will be given 3 lakh rupees as a lump sum settlement with which amount the person can buy land elsewhere and build a house on that land. For those with animal wealth ( hens-roorsters, cows-bulls, sheep and goats, ducks) will have to construct sheds for the animals on the said 10 decimals of land.Even pig pens will have to be made on the same land. Quite obviously, cats and dogs will stay with the displaced families.

According to this policy, the company would buy 70% of the land it wants directly from the farmers. The remaining 30% land would be requisitioned by the government for the company. The Jharkhand Government's current Industries Secretary KK Khandelwal and the State's Land Acquisition and Revenue Secretary PR Prasad, have clearly said that the policy will not be applicable to the lands acquired directly from the farmers. The R&R policy will only be applicable to the 30% land which the Government will acquire and hand over to the company. However, the thing to pay attention to here is that everyone---the company's broker, the minister supporting the company, the State Legislators. the Parliamentarians--- is trying to mislead the villagers. The villagers are being told of the "benefits" in both situations of the R&R-linked acquisition of land. Thus has the public been cheated.

In the draft, there is no mention of the value of the land to be requisitioned or to the price to be paid for it. Here the stipulations and conditions set forth in the MOU signed between the State Government and the Company should be made public to all. The conditions expressed therein could relate to any of the sections relating to the land requisition—for instance, the compensation. Also, expressed and demarcated clearly should be the responsibilities of the company as opposed to the State Government. Why on earth does the Government not disclose these facts to the public? Why is the public,whose life is now being short-changed, not being made openly aware of the MOU? The tabling of the R&R policy in the Cabinet while keeping the MOU secret, is a great betrayal to the public.

The company's attempts at drawing people towards itself by ostensible acts of Corporate Social Responsibility, such as distributing medicines from mobile ambulances,are only to help effectuate the grabbing of people's land. In a way, whatever is being made out to be a beneficial activity is really only a conspiracy to steal forest lands of the indigenous peoples.

Protests against displacement in Jharkhand

Narmada Invite: 25 Years of Struggle and Reconstruction [4 Attachments]

Industry jitters over profit clause in draft mining bill: Why stop at 26%? Tribals should be partners

Is HEC really solving problems of adivasis?

*National Consultation on the Proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and *

Posted by: "Vijayan M.J." vijayan@delhiforum.net

Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:15 am (PDT)

Humbling feeling and a sense of responsibility to help our adivasi friends in Kiriburu and Meghatuburu

Amazing welcome by Adivasi community in Kiriburu and Megahatuburu

Priya Ranjan in Kulda village of Torpa Block along with Dayamani Barla and her collaborators

Picture from Dayamani Barla's Dharna

Dayamani Barla's meeting with HEC displaced kids

A picture from 27 august 2010-dharna in Ranchi

Orissa coaches tribal students to compete in competititve tests

Orissa coaches tribal students to compete in competititve tests

A report by Mrs. Dayamani Barla from Bero Block where government is going illegal

Mittal is at it again

Anti-Mittal protest spills onto road

Dhurwa tense as CISF jawans clash with displaced people.

Dhurwa tense as CISF jawans clash with displaced people.

Is Mittal Our God? by Gladson Dungdung

Is Mittal Our God?

By Gladson Dungdung

www.jharkhandmirror.org

15 January, 2010

10 hurt in jawan attack: Protests led by Dayamani Barla: Article from The Telegraph: Calcutta

An excellent article for all Adivasi-wannabe-s: The Architect of The Adivasis' Misery by Gladson Dungdung

Fast against atrocities on tribals

Fast against atrocities on tribals

baha paper cutting colour - PK

Will Manmohan Singh speak up on this? Uranium Corporation of India Limited: Wasting Away Tribal Lands

Now you know why Mittal is pushing so hard in Jharkhand

Tribes Stall Steelmakers in India : More like Tribals fight for their existence

Tribes Stall Steelmakers in India

By PRASENJIT BHATTACHARYA And SAHIL MAHTANI

PUBLIC HEARING WITHOUT THE PUBLIC by Shriprakash

Mittal, Jharkhand is for Adivasis...leave us alone

Mital stop doing your drama

Gumla rally against Mittal!

Mittal go back , go back!!

We shall fight and win but won't give land

Mittal, we know how to tackle you...

Mittal leave us alone!

Seriously, Mittal go back..

Mittal, go back...

Mittal, where are you?

Mittal are you listening?

Pictures from Jharkhand about Massive anti mittal rally which all english media and internet based media forgot while covering fashion shows!

U.K. Agency: Vedanta Project Violates OECD Standards: Now even UK is talking about standards :)

U.K. Agency: Vedanta Project Violates OECD Standards

By JEFFREY SPARSHOTT

State will not lose, others ready to step in, says Governor

State will not lose, others ready to step in, says Governor

ArcelorMittal statement

UPDATE: Mittal may exit Orissa, J'khand plans over delays: Please leave us alone Mr. Mittal, Thank you!

VEDANTA'S KILLER CHIMNEY AT KORBA -- A BRIEF REPORT

Anti-Mittal cry grows louder

Some samples of Tribal art from Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal: We should build something similar in Jharkhand

ArcelorMittal looks for new site in J'Khand

Mittal may have to shift steel plant in Jharkhand : May he see light at the end of the tunnel?

Emissaries of Arcelor Mittal driven out from Torpa

MINING-INDIA: Woman Leads Tribals Against World's Steel Maker

MINING-INDIA: Woman Leads Tribals Against World's Steel Maker

Filed Under: From IPSNews

The ChhotaNagpur Tenancy Act states that agricultural land cannot be sold or transferred to a non-Adivasi....

Protest in Torpa against a Mittal plot to uproot the Adivasis and capture their wealth..

Analysis of Relief and Rehabilitation Policy: Dayamani Barla

Analysis of Relief and Rehabilitation Policy: Dayamani Barla

National Consultation on the Proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and