JHARKHAND MIRROR

By Gladsonn Dungdung

Tehelka 1 August, 2008

CSR, as implemented by Arcelor-Mittal in Jharkhand, is more Conspiracy for Snatching Resources than Corporate Social Responsibility.

L.N. Mittal and Arjun Munda

These days, tribals are being tricked into parting with their remaining resources in Jharkhand. Recently, the village head Fula Marandi of Amgachi village of Dumka district in Jharkhand was offered Rs. 13 lakh in cash, one vehicle and Rs. 20 thousand per month as honorarium by Nalin Soren, the agriculture minister of Jharkhand for convincing the villagers to surrender their land for the proposed thermal power plant at Kathikund in Dumka, which the villagers have opposed from the beginning. The Minister knew that only the village-head was in a position to convince the villagers to surrender their land for the proposed plant. Read more…

By Gladson Dungdung

Mynews 1 July, 2008

According to the latest report, the Tata’s lakh takiya car “Nano”, exaggerated as the people’s car is all set to roll out from Singur factory in October 2008. The “Nano” made Ratan Tata the chairman of the Tata steel, one of the top business titans in the world. The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh was also quite impressed while attending the Tata Centenary Celebrations at Jamshedpur on April 22, 2008. He coined the Tata Steel as a symbol of growth of Indian industry. He was tireless in appreciating the Tata’s leadership, wealth and employment generation. But is there everything goody-goody about the Tata? One must have to analyze the ground realities to know the foul play of the business titan.

In the first time, the Tata’s real inhuman face was seen in Kalinga Nagar of Orissa in January 2, 2006, where 14 Adivasis had been shot dead by the police while fighting against the Tata steel to protect their lands and livelihoods resources. Ironically, the Tata is still attempting to execute the project. An Adivasi activist Amin Banara was also killed by the bullets of the TATA goons on May 1, 2008 in Kalinga Nagar and there is still tense in the areas as the Tata has deployed dozen of well armed people. They roam in the project areas in motorcycles and abuse, threaten and terrorize the villagers. Read more…

Adivasi women protesting against displacement at Kathikund in Dumka

By Gladson Dungdung

MyNew.in 22 May, 2008 

The thousands of tribal men, women and children had gathered in the blazing sun of mid summer at Pokharia village of Dumka district in Jharkhand on May 8, 2008. A “Dishum Baishi” the highest meeting of Santhals’ self governance, was organized to deal the grievous situations, pronounce judgments and punish the middle men. These tribals had come from 60 villages of Santhal Pargana region to punish Nalin Soren the Agriculture Minister of Jhakhand, Jai Prakash Toppo the Officer-in-Charge of Kadhikund Police Station and five villagers including Lakhiram Hansada, Kirani Marandi, Kalamuddin Ansari, Samsuddin Miyan and Mahijuddin Miyan of Amgachi village for working in the interest of the proposed Thermal Power Plant at Amgachi in Dumka, which the villagers are opposing from the beginning.

According to the “Dishum Baishi”, the minister’s crime was severe because he had attempted to cheat the Santhal community by offering Rs. 13 lakh cash, one vehicle and Rs. 20 thousand per month as honorarium to the village-head Fulo Marandi of Amgachi of Dumka district for convincing the villagers to surrender their land for the proposed power plant. The other five villagers were found guilty because they had guided Basant Soren the son of Sibu Soren in approaching the village head while he had visited to Amgachi village to convince the village head for the project, and the crime of the police officer Jai Prakash Toppo was for denying to hand over these five middle men to the villagers during the meeting of Dishum Manjhi on April15, 2008. Read more…

People marching against displacement, SEZ and Communal fascism

By Gladson Dungdung

 

MyNews.in
New Delhi 28 March, 2008 

Nafre Jan Andolan declared a mass movement against displacement, special economic zone, dual education system, neo-imperialism and communal fascism in a public meeting, organized on the occasion of the national culmination of “Jan Hakk Yatra” in the capital on March 27. The Yatra was flagged off in Manipur on January 23 with the message that the current development model that favours the haves and exploits the marginalized, who are mostly Adivasis, Dalits and minorities, was not acceptable. The members of Jan Hakk Yatra crossed through forests, hills and rivers heard the agony of people and understood deeply about the issues of the different areas. The Yatra was culminated after scaling 2 lacs 10 thousand kilo meters in16 states having dialogues with 15 lacs people across the country.

In the occasion of the culmination, a two days public meeting was organized in Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, the general secretary of Nafre Jan Andolan, Lakhi Das recalled that how the Nafre had started its activities with a campaign in demand of making “right to education” as the fundamental rights. She said that a big rally had been organized in Delhi in 2001, which pressurized the government of India. As a result, the education was incorporated as the fundamental rights in the Constitution of India under Article 21a. After this successful campaign the Nafre went one step further and took up the issue of inequality. Finally, the Nafre was shaped into the people’s movement in March 2006. Read more…