December 03, 2008
Jharkhand tribals up against mining companies
Step into Jharkhand’s Tentoposi village in Seraikela district and you will be greeted with hostile glances. Sitting on rich mineral reserves of iron ore, residents of this village are constantly under the fear of displacement and loss of livelihood sources.
TATA Steel has already announced that it will set up a 12 million tonne integrated steel plant in the area at an investment of INR 42,000 crore and has signed MoU with the state government.
The villagers suspect that there are people lurking around the village to usurp their land. Hence, they are on alert. They have created a security cordon around the village. Volunteers, wielding bows and arrows, guard the barricaded village at all hours. No government official or a media person is allowed in. Similar security cordons are common in Hazaribagh’s Karanpura valley.
According to the state industries department, the valley has huge coal reserves Punkhri Barwadih coal block alone has deposits of 1,400 million tonnes of thermal grade coal. Industries, including the National Thermal Power Corporation have placed bids to mine the area. NTPC plans to set up a coal fuelled power plant here. The project also envisages opencast mining to extract 15 million tonnes of coal a year, which is likely to displace 14,000 people, belonging to the Santhal, Ho and Munda tribes.
There are several other companies eying the rich mineral deposits of this tribal dominated state. Since the state was carved out of Bihar in 2000, the state government has signed 44 MoUs with companies like Arcelor Mittal, TATA and Jindal for mega industrial ventures worth INR 198,362.26 crore.
Mr Xaviar Dias coordinator of Bindrai Institute of Research Study & Action said that these prospective investors will acquire over 45,000 hectares and eventually displace more than 1,000,000 people, mostly from the east and west Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharswan region.
Recent incidents at Singur and Kalinganagar have incensed the tribals more. They have vowed to sacrifice their lives to protect their land rather than vacate it for industrial development. All villages where the industrial giants have announced to set up projects are currently under the vigilance of more than 60 tribal organizations. Under the banner of Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee, these groups have announced a battle against mining and displacement.
Mr Puneet Minz general secretary of Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee said that "The minerals will be tainted with blood if any of these companies dare to acquire even an inch of tribal land. Police and the state machinery are after us. Once we disclose the names, they will be either picked up or tortured to quit the movement."
The state government said that the investments will help the state achieve its economic development goals. But the tribal groups have lost faith in the government, particularly after it signed the MoUs with the industrial giants without preparing a rehabilitation & resettlement policy. Jharkhand still follows the rehabilitation policy of the Bihar government. The tribal groups also blame the government for repeatedly ignoring people’s opinion while leasing out land for mining.
Mr Minz said that "In Jharkhand, the government is the lawbreaker. The Chhottanagpur Tenancy Act 1908 prohibits sell or transfer of land in scheduled areas to non tribals. Then why is the government signing MoUs with mining companies."
Jharkhand Mines Area Coordination Committee has chalked out a clear strategy to not let any mining company to set up projects in the state. It has already gone ahead alerting and educating people about how the companies cheat the displaced and has imposed a janta curfew in 30 villages where the industries have proposed to set up their projects. It is also pressing the state government to carry out a detailed survey of the displaced tribals and to frame the R&R policy with their consensus. It has urged the central government to include tribal people’s right to land in the central R&R policy.
Industrial biggies and their proposed projects in Jharkhand
| Name | Project site | Mining |
| NTPC | Karanpura, Hazaribagh | Coal |
| JSPL | Patratu, Asanboni | Iron ore & coal |
| TATA Steel | Tentoposi, Seraikela | Iron ore |
| Jindal Steel | Chaibasa, W Singhbhum | Iron ore |
| Avijeet Infra Group | Chitarpur, Latehar | Coal |
| Mittal Steel | Torpa, Ranchi | Iron ore |
| CIL | Tendwa, Chatra | Coal |
| Dempo & Co Pvt Ltd | Mohanpur | Iron ore |
| UCIL | Pundihansa, E Singhbhum | Uranium |
| Nico Jaiswal Group | Karanpura, Hazaribagh | Coal |
Mr Minz said that "The existing mines of coal, iron ore, bauxite and other minerals are enough to bring fortune. The government just needs to treat minerals on the lines of the international oil cartel, OPEC and sell them directly in the international market. The central government should take an initiative in this direction. Or else, even if industrial giants like the Mittals pour in INR 40,000 crore to establish plants in Jharkhand, it will be a bad deal for the state."
