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From: Sukla Sen <suklasen@yahoo.com> Date: Thu Sep 15, 2005 Subject: A Report on Kashipur Struggles From: "Ms Chanda Asani" <chanda_asani@...> IPT in Kashipur Introduction After petroleum Bauxite is going to be the second precious mineral resource. State governments like Orissa, Andhra, Kerala and Chhatisgarh in recent years have signed s MOUs with a number of Multinational companies to set up mines that are primarily export oriented. Bauxite is the only source from which commercial exploitation of aluminium is possible. In India, Orissa has nearly 70% percent of bauxite. The Kashipur project was signed just after the New Economic Policy where for the first time foreign companies were involved in bauxite-aluminium sector. Ever since people of Kashipur came to know about such agreement they started opposing the companies. Kashipur people faced once police firing in December, 2000 and lost three tribals. Now since December 2004 entire Kashipur has been seized by state armed police and paramilitary forces. A number of activists were illegally picked up and were sent to jail. Even today nearly 20 activists are still languishing in jail. The conflict started because the company??s state tried to occupy tribals land and local people see it as a threat to their life, livelihood and environment of the entire area. Why IPT Main objective behind such IPT is to bring facts behind the bauxite mining and attitude of the state. Thorough this effort a larger debate could be initiated against such bauxite mining ?? alumina plant and ruthless attitude of the state government towards its people specifically in post globalisation era. For more information on this issue see annexure (state repression in Kashipur and responses) The Terms of Reference for the Enquiry - Livelihood of the local area people - Environmental impact of both mining and alumina plant - Human rights violation Venue of the IPT Kucheipadar village : It is just 70km towards west from Rayagada district headquarter. This is main center of the struggle against UAIL companies where the repression is at its highest. It will take two and half hours from Rayagada. UAIL ( a joint venture of Hindalco of India and Alcan of Canada) want to set up alumina plant. UAIL will mine bauxite from Baphlimali , another 20km far from Kucheipadar. It is a 4500 crore projects and due to resistance UAIL has not succeeded in even making its boundary wall. Date of IPT IPT will take place on the auspicious day of Gandhi Jayanti (2nd October, 2005 , Sunday) Time : 10am - 5pm with break Detail schedule of the team Panel members and others should arrive before September 30th , 2005 evening to Rayagada. Rayagada comes in-between Vizag to Raipur. It takes five hours from vizag on road and eight hours from Raipur by train. 1st October , 2005 Saturday, the team will visit to Lanjigada (in Kalahandi district). It is 70km far from Rayagada toward north direction. Here in Lanjigada another company Vedanta ??Sterlite company wants to set up a project (for detail project see annexure) violating all laws they have set up the plant. Because of intervention of Central Empowered Committee set up by Supreme Court (for visit report of the team see annexure ) the company has not yet proceeded. Here also tribals started their struggle in 2002 but due to heavy repression they could not stop the work. Many of the tribals have been forced to leave their land and are staying in a rehabilitation site. This project not only would affect local tribals also it would affect Niyamgiri biodiversity. (See annexure) During visit to Lanjigada the team will be accompanied by the activists and will interact with members of Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiticome (who is spearheading the struggle against Vedanta), members of Nagarika Surakshya Samiti (opposing Vedanta at entire Kalahandi district level) back on same day night to Rayagada. For background of Vedanta you can see the annexure. On 2nd October, 2005 Sunday the team will proceed to Kucheipadar and should reach before 10am morning. The team will receive depositions and will listen from people come from different parts of the bauxite affected area from the country. The areas include Kashipur (UAIL ?? Hndalco and Alcan Company), Lanjigada ( Vedanta company), Damanjodi ( Nalco), Korba of Chhatisgada ( Balco-sterlite), Vizag agency area of AP ( Jindal), Sambalpur from Hiindalco area (Orissa ) , Malco ( Tamilnadu). 3rd October, Monday : the team will meet invited government officials of Rayagada including District collector and SP of Police. The company officials will be invited for their deposition. This will start from 10am. Press conference at Rayagada town at 2pm Entire team will depart Rayagada after 3pm onwards Composition of the panel members (complete address and phone number of each member is to be separately attached) ?· Justice Bhargava (Retd Chief Justice Sikkim and Rajasthan High Court) Head of the Panel ( Phone: ?· Mr. Balgopal , Lawyer and human rights activists ( Secretary, Human Rights Forum , and Andhra Pradesh) (Contact phone number : 040-23327925) ?· Prof. Ram Dayal Munda ( Retd. Prof. of Ranchi University, Jharkhand) ( Phone: 0651-2233090) ?· Dr. Parasuraman ( Director, Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai)(Cell : 09892856679) ?· Dr. Vt. Padmanabhan ( Environmentalist ) ( Cell: 09431185072) ?· Mrs. Ilina Sen ( Feminist and writer) Raipur, Chhatisgada (Cell: 09425206875) ?· Mr. Dillip Singh Bhuria ( former Chairman , ST and SC Commission, New Delhi) (Phone: ?· Mr. N. N. KrishnaDas, MP , Loksabha , Expert (Cell: 0986880789) Responsibility of Panel Members It would be a combined effort of all members and members are to contribute according to their expertise. Human Rights violation and state repression Mr. Balgopal Tribal life and ethnicity of the local tribe (specifically how the tribal life would be affected by such big projects ) - Prof. Ram Dayal Munda Rehabilitation package of such industrial projects and Lacunae in Orissa state??s rehabilitation package - - Dr. Parasuraman Probable Environmental impact of the bauxite mining and alumina projects - Dr. Vt. Padmanabhan Women issues specifically tribal women problems (also positive aspect of tribal women from a feminist point of view) - Mrs. Ilina Sen Violation of tribal central laws including PESA - Mr. Dillip Singh Bhuria Depositions from People ?· From Kashipur area : Bhagaban Majhi , convenor, PSSP ( why struggle, responded of the state, ?· Impact of the project, what company speaks, . Role of PSSP etc) Mukta Jhodia of Siriguda village (about tribal life and why they oppose to the project from tribal women perspective) ?· Makari Majhi ( a victim of police torture) ?· Bulka Miniaka (a victim of police torture and also will speak about Laxmipur project where Hindalco is coming to have its separate mining and alumina project other than Kashipur) ?· From agency area of Vizag, AP ?? a member of Girijan Sabha of Andhra Pradesh where Jindal wants to have its new bauxite mining project in agency area of Visakhapatna , AP ?· From Korba( Balco) Chhatisgada area - Ms. Sambati of Balco area of Korba ( Chhatisgada)- how life of tribals have been devastated due to existing bauxite mining project ?· From Sambalpur (Hindalco aluminium plant area) Orissa - A member of Anchalika Krushak Sangathan , Sambalpur (Orissa) where Indal has its aluminium project and has caused severe damage to the agricultural field ?· From Damanjodi ( Nalco ) area, Orissa - A member of LDP Union , Damanjodi ( where Nalco has its bauxite mining and alumina plant in Koraput district in Orissa) ?· From Gandhamardhan area, Orissa - Gupteswar Kuanr / Lingaraj of Gandhamardan area (here Balco wanted to establish its bauxite mining in 80??s and withdrew due to people struggle) ?· From Lanjigada area, Orissa - Mr. Bhima Majhi/ Nayan Das member of niyamgiri surakshya samiti / nagarika mancha respectively to say about Lanjigada project against Vedanta. ?· From Malco area of Tamilnadu : Nityananda / any other person Depositions from experts ?· Prafulla Samantaray ( if possible ) possible environment impact and role of negligence of govt. agencies ?· Rajendra Sarangi ?? Critical view on Industrial policy of Orissa and projects so far signed by Orissa Govt. ?· Prof. Bhagabat Prasad Rath- Bauxite mining projects , Kashipur/Lanjigada project Sharing of responsibility ?· Contact with panel members, Letter to Government officials and company officials ?? Deepika / Maya( IPT) ( Deepika : 09820039557) ?· Hospitality at Rayagada ?? M. Satish , Convenor PUCL Rayagada Unit( 06856-235980) ?· Accompanying the team to Lanjigada and Kashipur ( hindi translation of conversations and describing the issue) ?? Hemanta Dalpati, Tribal activist and writer (09437331546) ?· Lanjigada area programme (Lingaraj Azad, activist of Lanjigada struggle and member of Samajwadi Janaparishad) ?· Kashipur area preparation ?? Debaranjan , activist PSSP ?· Depositions from other areas ?? Debaranjan ?· Report writing- Ranjana Padhi, Deepika, Harsh (Cell: 09811150884) Secondary materials required (or should reach each panel members prior to IPT) ?· Kashipur People??s movement , state repression and Responses (soft copy available) (it gives detail account of Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL- a joint venture of Hindalco and Alcan) , Kashipur project, struggle, form of recent repression, fact finding team report of five national level organisations happened during 2005), total pages - 35 ?· Central Empowered Committee visit report of Lanjigada ( Vedanta project) (soft copy available) total pages- 6 ?· Memorandum given to NHRC by PSSP , Kashipur in August , 2005 (soft copy available) pages-4 ?· Profile of Vedanta Company ( how it has failed to keep its CSR) (soft copy)total pages - 28 ?· Profile of Alcan (how it has failed to keep its CSR) soft copy, total pages- 54 ?· Tribals war against industrialization ( it gives brief description of life of Kashipur and several other things mainly prepared by activists of the struggle( soft copy ) pages -11 ?· Memorandum given to the President of India (jointly) by PSSP, CMM ( Chhatisgada) and JSM ( Madhya Pradesh) ?· Response of chairman of Pollution Control Board of Orissa regarding bauxite projects ( only hard copy ) pages ?? 13 ?· A study on biodiversity of Niyamgiri (where Vedanta in Lanjigada wants to mine bauxite) soft copy , pages- 22 ?· Behind the Shining: Aluminum's Dark Side (a note of aluminum impact on environment , struggle against such mining world over ) (soft copy) pages: 200 A note on politics of Bauxite in Orissa ( to be prepared by Debaranjan, if possible) Films on Kashipur (films may acquaint the panel members with the issue) 1. Development at Gunpoint ( By KP Sasi made in 2001 after Maikanch firing) 2. Kalinga to Kashipur ( By Meghnath made in 2003 as a campaign film) Further details about IPT can be found on the IPT website: iptindia.org Further information: Deepika/Maya 4th Floor CVOD Jain School 84 Samuel Street Dongri Mumbai 400 026 Deepika??s mobile: (0)98200 39557 Preeti/ Bedo 65 Mazjid Road Jungpura New Delhi Bedo??s Mobile: (0) 9811803392 |
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| << September14, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Digest 14th Sept |
September16, 2005 - [India Thinkers Net]Dress code, New Orleans,Class war etc >> |
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