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Arnab Sen
Mr Padhi
I am shocked to read your convoluted argument and this is another clear instance of why it is necessary to carve autonomous tribal homelands out of the existing dominant linguistic states.
Arnab Sen
Flat # 1024 Sector C Pocket 1
Vasant Kunj
New Delhi 110070 INDIA
Roopa Sharma Dear Manoj,
From the essay here below u will see that tHe Vedanta people have
already promised about 20 crore to the govt. A tribal or two incited
and killed will not achieve anything. Our leaders are so hungry that
ultimately the industrialists will win.
Regards
roopa
Tribals block Vedanta earthmovers
Ashutosh Mishra
Saroj Mishra
Villagers are in no mood to relent
Company jumped the gun to feed refinery starved of bauxite, they
allege
IN THE dead of night on January 7, two earthmoving vehicles were seen
moving up the forest road of Niyamgiri Hills. Villagers of
Semalbhatta were quick to conclude that the heavy vehicles were from
the nearby Lanjigarh refinery owned by Vedanta Alumina Ltd. They
alerted nearby villages. By 3.30 am a crowd of 800 people gathered to
form a human wall and stopped the heavy vehicles from going further
up the hill.
The impasse continued for about 10 hours until the police arrived.
The tribal protestors returned home only after the vehicles retreated
to the refinery two kilometres away.
Niyamgiri Hills in the Eastern Ghats is at the centre of a power
struggle between the Dongria Kondh tribals, who have lived there for
generations, and Vedanta, a subsidiary of Sterlite Industries that
has won rights to blast open the hills to take out its bauxite
deposits.
Activists fighting for the rights of the tribal people over the
forest in Kalahandi district alleged Vedanta was trying to start
covert mining operations without waiting for clearance from the Union
Ministry of Environment and Forests (moef). "This is the second time
in a month they (Vedanta) have tried to move heavy vehicles up the
hill as their refinery is short on raw material. Last month also
people stopped their vehicles," said Siddhartha Nayak, president of
Kalahandi Sachetan Nagrik Manch. People have set up camps in the
village to prevent attempts by the company to send its vehicles up
for mining related work.
The one-million-tonne refinery is operating below 50 per cent
capacity, said company sources. But officials dismissed accusations
of attempts to illegally mine bauxite. "There are rich bauxite
deposits in Chhattisgarh and Gujarat from where we are getting our
raw material," said Sasanka Patnaik, spokesperson for Vedanta
Alumina. He said the heavy vehicles were sent only for road repair
work. The five-metre-wide forest road is being widened to improve
access to the mining site.
The Supreme Court last year cleared mining operations in the
Niyamgiri hills despite a Central Empowered Committee report that
mining should not be permitted. It was a huge setback for the tribal
people and human rights and environmental activists who have been
fighting against mining in the Niyamgiri for more than four years.
But the actual mining can commence only after a joint venture
agreement is signed between Sterlite Industries and Orissa Mining
Corporation.
The company said it has obtained stage one clearance for "prospecting
and controlled blasting to know the exact depth and quantity of
bauxite deposits". Fresh applications for stage two clearance, for
commencing mining work, will be moved soon, said Patnaik. He added
that the company could not start prospecting as the special purpose
vehicle (spv), for implementing the project, has not been created.
The Supreme Court while clearing mining operations had mandated an
spv to ensure environmental regulations are met.
State industries secretary Ashok Dalwai confirmed that Vedanta has
obtained stage one clearance but was categorical that prospecting can
start only after stage two clearance for mining is obtained. The
state minister for steel and mines Pradeep Amat said that the
government "is still working" on the spv and joint venture agreements.
Vedanta said it will comply with environmental stipulations and would
soon deposit Rs 12 crore with the moef for diverting forestland for
the project. Another Rs 20 crore will be deposited for peripheral
development. Patnaik said 90 people from 125 displaced families have
been employed in the refinery and 20 others were absorbed in
executive positions much before the apex court order. "We are also
helping the district administration to form women's self-help groups
for income generation projects," he added.
Notwithstanding the promise of livelihood opportunities for the
displaced persons, tension prevails. Two persons from Raghunathpur
village in Lanjigarh were recently caught trying to cut the water
supply lines of the refinery. "They had lost their land and wanted
jobs. We let them off on bail bonds," Lanjigarh sub-inspector B Nayak
said. The forest road is under vigil round the clock in Semalbhatta
village.
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