By Gladson Dungdung
IntercontinentalCry May 25, 2009
Thousands of indigenous people from Talsa village in northern Jharkhand, India, must now face the prospect of displacement—in addition to lung cancer, skin diseases and physical deformities as a result of a nearby open cast uranium mine, which has operated for decades. The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), who runs the mine, is attempting to gain control of the villager’s land for a new tailings pond. The village is doing everything in their power to resist.
Adivasis protesting against displacement at Jamshedpur
The state of Jharkhand known as the abode of Adivasis (Indigenous People), containing 40 percent of India’s minerals, has been witnessing a series of people’s resistance against unjust development for decades. The industrialization has been chalked full of investor uncertainty and city dweller middle class cries foul but the anger of the Adivasis against the land acquisition for development projects is not calming down in the state. In a fresh incident, thousands of Adivasis from the Talsa village near Jamshedpur entered into the offices of the Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum at Jamshedpur on May 19, to resist the Uranium Corporation of India Limited’s (UCIL) drive to acquire their land for its new tailing pond near Turamdih mill. Read more…
Intercontinental Cry
26 April, 2009
Gladson Dungdung, a Human Rights Activist and writer from the Indigenous community of Jharkhand, examines Arcelor Mittal company’s recent attempt to forge an alliance with the Christian Church–as a way of undermining indigenous peoples in Jharkhand, who refuse to sacrifice their land and their way of life for the company’s development interests.
Indigenous People against displacement
The global steel giant Arcelor Mittal Company is struggling between despair and hope in the mineral-rich state of Jharkhand. The Company signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Jharkhand government on October 8, 2005 for setting up a 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, the Company 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 units of water per hour for the steel plant and a township in Torpa-Kamdara region of Khunti and Gumla district. Besides, a mega Dam will also be constructed at Koel-Karo River for ensuring the water supply to the steel plant. According to the plan, the steel plant will be set up by the end of 2009 and the production will begin from 2012. Consequently, there will be a mass displacement of Adivasis as 256 villages would be affected completely by the project. Read more…
By Gladson Dungdung
Newswing 18 December, 2008
The poor Adivasis who live with empty stomach, bare back and lack of education in their own state have been betrayed in the name of development in the country even after 60 years of independence. That’s the reason why the Adivasis have decided not to give even one inch of land for the development projects in Jharkhand, which induce displacement, ruin their livelihood resources and destroy their culture, identify and autonomy.
Medha Pateker and villagers paying homage to Lakhiram Tuddu
“We shall give up our lives but not land.” The slogan is overwhelming across the state of Jharkhand against displacement induced by the development projects. It is not only a slogan for the Adivasis but it is also their determination, pledge and hope to ensure their ownership rights over the natural resources i.e. land, forest and water. They have already won the battle against the Field Firing Range in Netarhat and the Power Project in Koel-Karo near Ranchi, which has inspired another ten thousand Adivasis of Kathikund and Shikaripara blocks of Dumka district too. They have called off a “Janta Curfew” in the areas against the police firing, which took place on December 6, where activist Lakhiram Tuddu lost his life and 7 people were severely injured including 3 police men. Read more…
By Gladson Dungdung
Newswing 26 November, 2008
The benefits of development projects were only enjoyed by the Landlords, Project Officers, Engineers, Contractors, Bureaucrats, Politicians and outsiders, and those who sacrificed everything for the sake of the “development” are struggling for their survival.
A Mass Meeting against land acquisition at Potka
The Jharkhand government has signed 98 MoU with several national and multinational companies for setting up 74 steel plants and 24 power plants with the estimated investment of Rs 4,67,240 crore, which require approximately 200,000 acres of land. The government, the Industrialists and the Media are putting hard efforts to convince people by propagating the message that the industrialization is only way to develop the 8 years old Jharkhand therefore the villagers must surrender their land for the development projects, which would provide them jobs, infrastructure and boost the economy of the state. But the Adivasis and Moolvasis are not convinced with the ideas as 70 percent of them still rely on agriculture, forest produces and livestock for their survival. They are resisting against displacement, attacking the company’s officials and not allowing them to enter into the villages. Consequently, the government is not able to execute even a single MoU at the grassroots for last 5 years. Read more…
By Gladson Dungdung
Tehelka 5 September, 2008
Poorly rehabilitated, adivasi families displaced by the Malay Dam in 1983 in Palamu of Jharkhand are now accused of encroaching on forest land.
The Chero Adivasi, displaced of Malay Dam
The adivasis, mostly the victims of the development process in India, rarely reap the benefits of it. The three buzz words – compensation, rehabilitation and development—are widely propagated during the land acquisition for dams, industries, mining companies, power plants and other development projects but ground realities the displaced masses live with are different. The agony of 56 Chero adivasi families who were displaced in 1983 during the construction of Malay Dam, situated at Satbarwa block of Palamu district in Jharkhand, discloses the truth of how the displaced struggle for survival after being betrayed in the name of compensation, rehabilitation and development.
These Adivasis had been living in Katautia and Dodang villages for generations, now submerged by the reservoir of the Malay Dam. They had adequate agricultural land, where they used to cultivate paddy, wheat, mustard, pulse and vegetables for their consumption and the surpluses were sold in the local market to meet other needs. 70 year-old Ganeshi who owned 29.85 acres of fertile land, received merely Rs. 36,000 as compensation and became a daily wage labourer says, “My family members were never used to earning livelihood from daily wages. We had more than enough land to sustain our families for years.” “None of 56 families had ever been labourers but we were simply betrayed in the name of rehabilitation. Now we have only daily wages as a major source to sustain our families,” he added. Read more…
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