Dayamani Barla
Adivasi Mulvasi Astitva Rakcha Manch
Jharkahand
M0.no..9431104386
Presentation-TEHELKA-Think.2011..4-6 Nov. Gao
This is the reason because of which, where ever in the world and whenever in the history attempts are made to alienate them from their forests and land they have revolted. The same is continuing today. The reasons behind the Adivasi struggles in Jarkhand and the world over are the same – snatching away land and forest from these communities and alienating them from their surroundings. Long back in history when British were occupying America they asked the Adivasi (indigenous) leader Lloyd Seattle to leave their land and forest and in response he retorted that how can we bargain the air we breathe, the water we survive upon, the sunshine we energies our lives with and the waves of our sea. It is impossible.
Ever since independence only in Jharkhand more that 30 million Adivasies, Moolvasies, peasants and fisher folks have been displaced from their habitation and livelihood by various development and infrastructure projects. In Ranchi district during 1956 Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) had displaced 32,000 people from 30 villages. In another district Bokaro during 1956 Tenughat Dam had displaced the population of 84 villages while during 1957-58 Bokaro Steel Plant had displaced another 40,000. In Jamshedpur district during 1986 the Chandil Dam had displaced around 75,000 people while Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (UCIL) run Uranium mines at Rakha, Badhurang and Turadih had uprooted not less than hundred thousand people. The story goes on like this district after district. Similarly the coal mines had also displaced innumerable number of people in the blindfolded onslaught of greed for profit irrespective of plight of millions of Adivasis and Moolvasis along with the toiling masses and peasants. Such developments have also affected the climate in the region adversely and people are forced to negotiate frequent occurrence of droughts and regular decline in yield of critical forest products that were kind of ‘safety nets’ for forest dwellers.
Today the global capital is after our water, waterfalls, rivers, land, forest, villages and postures for making profits. Whole of the ‘corporate’ world is bent upon investing in extracting our heritage. Ever since the province of Jharkhand was created ten years ago, both state and central government put together have signed about 104 Memorandums of Understanding with various Multinational Corporations. 98 entities out of this are ‘Steal’ producers all of whom require land for iron ore mining; setting up power plants; coal mining; dams for water requirements; townships and markets for workforce; roads for transportation of their goods and services. In this way each and every enterprise requires about 50-60 thousand hectare of land. If all these MoUs are implemented how much of water, land and forest will be left for the peasants, adivasis and original inhabitants.
As the result of past experiences and witnessing the ill effects of the ‘development’ so far the whole of Jharkhand is today agitating against the ‘corporate’ land grab and forced displacement. In Eastern Singhbhumi it is against Jindal Steel and Bhushan Steel; in Saraikela Kharsawan it is against ESSAR group; in Dumka it is against RPG Group people are organizing themselves and resisting the powers that be. Similar people’s struggles are going on most of the mining related Greenfield projects.
Acellor Mittal Group had signed a MoU with Jharkhand Government in 2005 for its proposed Steel Plant in Kamdera, Torpa, Kerra, and Rania Blocks of Gumla and Khunti Districts and the company had requisitioned 12,000 Hectare land from the Government. The whole project which includes Steel Plant, Iron Ore Mining, Dam on Karo River for Water and captive Thermal Power Plant will potentially displace couple of Hundred of Thousand families from more than 38 villages. People have organized themselves under the banner of Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch and launched a non violent and sustained struggle since 2006 against the combined might of corporate giant and the state government blessed by none less than the executive head of Government of India.
In the interim the activists of the Anti Mittal struggle, including myself had received threats to their lives from the agents of the company on several occasions. Such treats that I received on my phone were reported in local police station but no action on the complaints is taken till date. I was asked to stop holding meetings in the villages of the proposed project otherwise not only I will be killed but killed in a manner that people will not be able to recognize my body. I have accepted the challenge and thought if one life of mine can save the lives of thousands of people it will be quite meaning end to my life. The people stand united under the banner of Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch that had articulated its demands as – “We need Grains not Steel” “Need to develop Soil, Not Factories” “we will neither give lives nor the land”
People have vivid memories of the past where only 5% of the 30 million displaced could get some kind of rehabilitation and about the rest 95% even government does not have any records how many still survived and how many are dead by now. The new proposals on land acquisition and rehabilitation do not even mention about the ‘status’ and/or plight of communities displaced in the past.
Both the government and the other agents of the corporations propagate of employment generation and rosy picture of resettlement & rehabilitation but they fail to see the whole issue from the point of view of an Adivasi and/or Moolvasi. In our world view the employment in employer – employee framework is a non issue and that’s why it fails to attract us. For us it is our harmonious relationship with ‘mother nature’ that nurtures our livelihood and we crave for that. For us the shelter and habitat is not mere concrete walls and roof but we squat and live in being as part of our surrounding ecology and environment. We do not worship in temples or mosques or churches our deities are none other than our ancestor whose remains are buried under the rocks in our own land and that’s where we worship. Any R&R package devoid of these can never attract Adivasis and Moolvasis however glittery it may look in monetary or physical terms. And our intellectuals, planners, administrators and politicians all and alike fail us on this count.
We are not against development as people at the helm of power try to make out. We also want to develop but on our terms and not on terms dedicated to nurturing of ‘corporate’ greed for profit and more profit. We do not want to develop at the cost of our surrounding ecology and environment. We want to develop along with our believes, our languages, our identity and culture, our forests and flora fauna, our land and soil, our rivers and waterfalls and not at the cost of these all. If the Corporate world and the Governments come up with a model of development that stands on these parameters we will be more than willing to consider that. But whatever has happened so far and what is proposed for the near future does not qualify these parameters and hence not acceptable at any cost.
The governments both at center and the provincial level are bent upon adjusting their policies and amending the laws of the land to suit to the ‘corporate greed’ in total disregard to both the plight and the aspirations of its people. The recent attempts by the governments with regards to land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement policies and laws are testimony to this fact. The proposals on the table amount to withdrawal of STATE from the business of land acquisition and responsibility and accountability on account of rehabilitation and resettlement of effected communities. The ‘corporations’ are provided a free hand in acquisition of land and provided several ‘escape routes’ from washing their hands off the liability of resettlement.
In its mindless pursuit of growth of amorphous GDP, the Governments are unfolding spurious policies in the name of Export Promotion Zones (EPZ); Special Economic Zones (SEZ); and now Special Manufacturing Zones (SMZ) and allowing Corporate houses to legitimately create their autonomous enclosures beyond the limits of Constitution of India that we the people had solemnly proclaimed on January 26, 1950. The governments of the day are also resorting to the bogy of ‘war on terror’ and using the shield of operations like ‘Green Hunt’ in order to pursue the same agenda. We have witnessed it in the forests of Serenda in Jharkhand where Companies like Jindal, TATA, Mittal and ESSAR are planning to open up Iron Ore Mines in order to consolidate their business in Steal Sector.
As a consequence of this the conflict between the local communities and Global Capital on the issue of access and control over natural resources will further intensify and as the trends show the Governments of the day irrespective of their color and shades will side with the powerful with all means at its disposal and come with a heavy hand on its own subjects. The people’s resolve all over the world to resist attempts of their involuntary displacement on account of corporate greed for profit all over the country appears to be more resolute than ever before in the history. And we pledge to be part of this historic process till our last breath.
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