Raipur May 29 (ANI): The recent recommendation by a parliamentary panel that the government should discontinue the provision that allows it to acquire land for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) projects was, in an unusual move, rejected by two Union Ministers, Jairam Ramesh and Anand Sharma, who said it was "regressive" and that the state cannot "abandon" its role.
According to Mr. Ramesh, the government must have a role in the land acquisition process. Having said that, Mr. Ramesh echoes the voice of several adivasis who want the government to play a role not only on paper but in the actual happenings on the ground.
Land acquisition is not an easy process. Many lives are affected directly, and intensely, with little hopes for a better future for those displaced. The indigenous communities who have, for centuries, known nothing except for their land and forests, are being forced to move out.
The monetary compensation and jobs are promised but whether the promises are fulfilled or not remains a moot question. And will this money be able to bring back the heritage of yesteryears that they have safeguarded on their land, wholeheartedly, for all of their lives? A similar turmoil is transpiring in the periphery of newly formed Surajpur District in Chhattisgarh these days.
Last Year, a new company, IFFCO Chhattisgarh Power Ltd (ICPL) was formed as a joint venture between IFFCO and Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) to set up a 1320 MW power plant in Sarguja district of Chhattisgarh. Since then the locals are living a restless life as this project has jeopardized their existence on their very own land.
As the project moves from one phase to another, thirteen villages of the Surajpur Block will be sacrificed for the ambitious project. During the Jan Satyagraha Samwaad Yatra that is currently traveling through locations over a one-year span, interaction with the villagers left one with mixed feelings of agitation, helplessness and sadness.
The villagers woefully informed that in the first phase of the project, six villages will be wiped clean from the pages of history. These six villages are: Mudgaon, Katmuda, Narayanpur, Salka, Namna, and Raghunathpur. The compensation given to the land owners ranges from 80,000-1, 50,000 per acre of their land. For people, who have always worshipped their land and are dependant heavily on it, the idea of monetary compensation seems irrelevant. None of them really want to part with their land.
They love their villages in which they were born and bought up. Put under severe pressure, the villagers signed the documents giving consent for land-acquisition and soon they will be forced to move out of their villages leaving behind the heritage of yesteryears, the only connection that linked their past with the future.
No doubt the deal has given them huge amount of money - but how long will the money last? A major portion of it will be spent on buying land again. Vicious market forces are waiting to grab the money that they received as compensation. As soon as the compensation process starts, there would be a magical appearance of the showrooms of automobile companies and electronic goods in the area. Luxuries will get converted into necessities. The little compensation will soon be spent on these "necessities", preparing a new lot to join the huge ocean of people Below Poverty Line.
This is just one example from Chhattisgarh to show how culturally and economically rich people are transformed into people living below poverty line. In the second phase of this project, Kotaya, Mahora, Vidhyachal, Sarasta and Navaparakala will be affected. Besides these thirteen villages, Gangapur and Geji villages in the Koriya district will also get displaced. Despite the project being already operational, the inhabitants of these two villages haven't received any compensation. Other than private land, large area of forest land and commons like pastures will also be used and destroyed for this project. Three more villages will be affected, Mendra, Kataroli and Tara. The land of these villages will be taken for the rail line and coal field.
Even though the night was very cold during the halt of the Yatra, villagers gathered in great numbers to share their grievances. According to the villagers, every method is being brought to use by the company in order to take the land. Those resisting are singled out and punished. The district administration, they claim, is at the disposal of the companies.
For the poor adivasis, life has slammed the door of hope right on their face as this is an area where the Forest Rights Act is not implemented properly. As a result the adivasis, known for cultivating forest land, will lose both: the land as well as the compensation. One Mr. Bhagavan Ram shared that he was forced to sign the documents and out of fear for his life, he signed up. He did not want to surrender his land. The villagers also rued the role of the so called Gram Sabha (village committee) saying that its resolutions are all falsely fabricated. No one, they declare, is listening to their complaints.
Another group of villagers came to the gathering of the Yatra from Koriya district. Representative of Gangapur reported that they haven't even received a notice from the government but the construction of a dam has already begun. They are going to lose about 15,000 acres of land for the power plant, water barrage and coal field put together. Such complaints are not limited to Surajpur alone as the reverberations of such voices came from Jashpur and Raigarh district as well.
The level of displacement due to industrialization and mining has progressed so far that the local people have started giving up rather than standing against the companies concerned. There is absolutely no one within the government or among the opposition parties from whom they expect a patient hearing. Anyone who is opposing this process of land-grab is termed as anti-development groups.
The same pictures emerge as one travels through Sundargah and Jharsuguda. Sponge iron factories with their outdated and polluting technologies are springing up one after another. Seeing the beautiful mountains, forests and paddy fields dominated by the pollution, one can only imagine what must be happening to people who are living in those areas.
The Charkha Development Communication Network feels that even those who are committed to the 'development' of India through this process need to take some time to sit back and reflect on whether it is worth destroying the environment, natural resources and the lives of the people of this region for making capital which will then be ploughed back into the same area in the name of 'welfare' schemes. Shouldn't we find a better way to govern the country? By P.V.Rajagopal (ANI)
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