Sterlite India Forced Eviction, Bulldozed Village
stopera | 08.03.2004 20:11
On 1st February, suddenly few people from the company with help of local police forced people of Kinari (nearly 35 houses) to pack their belongings. Later they kept them in the rehabilitation colony constructed on the slope of a hill by the company and bulldozed the entire Kinari village.
NIYAMGIRI SURAKSHYA SAMITI
BELAMBA, LNJIGADA, KALAHANDI, ORISSA
PRESS RELEASE
VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY STERLITE COMPANY
ATTEMPT OF FORCEFUL EVICTION, BULLDOZED THE VILLAGE
Belamba(Kalahandi) 10.02.04: On February 01, 2004 the officers of Sterlite India limited the way they forcefully evicted a village Kinari violates human rights in our areas.
On 1st February, suddenly few people from the company with help of local police forced people of Kinari (nearly 35 houses) to pack their belongings. Later they kept them in the rehabilitation colony constructed on the slope of a hill by the company and bulldozed the entire Kinari village. It is true that that villager was given compensation money with help of district administration. But that money is still in the bank. Neither any one has purchased land nor the company has given them land in lieu of land. Even they were not given proper time to make the arrangement of their cattle. The way the company did this work and crushed their ancestral village is not only inhuman but is demonic also.
Now those people are crying. Only they have the last year’s crop with them and have no work now. All they are cordoned off by local police. Even we are not permitted to meet them. Are they dacoits or animals of a zoo for which the district administration, police and company is behaving in such way?
Here to say that, we the other villages like Kapaguda, Belamba, Turiguda, Sindhbahali, Boringpadar and Basantapada are opposing the Sterlite Company tooth and nail. We will not leave our land at any cost rather we would prefer to die. Such behaviour of the company, police and administration and ruling politicians is a lesson of all of us. Our struggle against the company is still going on non-violent way and very soon we would declare our programe against such demonic behaviour of the company.
Here we are requesting all concerned citizens, citizens groups, human rights groups and journalists to visit our areas and help us in bringing the truth. I on behalf of “Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti” am requesting all of you to condemn such inhuman incident of the Sterlite Company.
Daisingh Majhi
Convenor, Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti
(This is exact translation of the oriya Press Release distributed in the Kalahandi district and Bhubaneswar)
Sterlite vs Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti
About the Sterlite industries India ltd.
- The company is famous for copper smelting and refinery project
- Its Tuticorin project in Tamilnadu has been closed down due to public resistance. Coastal protection regulations were ignored even as the plant was emitting large quantities of arsenic, sulphur dioxide, lead, cadmium, antimony and bismuth.
- Purchased BALCO at low price
- Speedy growing company with help of ruling BJP
About the bauxite mining in Kalahandi
- Project cost is Rs 4500 crores
- The company is mobilizing fund through London Stock Exchange in name of Vedanta. Also Mauritian firm Twinstar Holdings plan to increase stake in Sterlite company violating its agreement with Government of India in case of transfer of BALCO.
- Production capacity is of 10 million tons alumina
- It would employ 250 people directly and 500 people indirectly according to its project report
- It would mine bauxite from Niyamgiri hill. The hill has 7.3 crores of tons of bauxite. The company agrees that the project would last for only 23 years. Because for producing 10 million tons of alumina in a year nearly 30tons of bauxite is required. The rest of 20tons red mud would be on the ground annually for ever polluting river , earth and ground water.
- Niyamgiri hill range stretches up to 1073.4 hectares of 508.638 hectares are reserved forest area. The company project report speaks that mining would take place in the reserved forest area also.
- Near the mining the company will have its alumina refinery plant.
- Because of plant it would displace nearly 60 families of two villages and would affect 302 families of 12 villages of two panchayats.
- For plant 1789.54 hectares of land is required out of which 1109.41 hectares private land.
Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti’s view point
Niyamgiri hill feeds nearly 40 villages directly who are inside the hill range. It has two rivers Bansadhara and Nagabali who supplies water to hundred villages. If mining took place it would dry up.
The tribal have their own economy. They depend both on forest and land. Simple money can not replace the livelihood.
It would pollute the ground water and air for which many people would suffer.
Resistance
The company has not yet completed the survey work due to resistance. Once they with district administration tried to conduct gramsabha but failed to do so. But officially collector said that gram sabha is not opposing the plant.
When on 2nd april people of the area were beaten up near to the police station in an occasion police closed its eyes. PUCL –Bhubaneswar and Rayagada Unit visited the area and condemned such incident in their report.
Whey chief minister came for the foundation stone on 8 June people could not able to do any thing because of heavy police. But two days later they destroyed the stone and got arrested.
The resistance is going on.
The company has not yet received environment clearance from the central government.
How to reach in the area: The area is on west side of Orissa. This is nearly 70 kilometers from Bhawanipatna ( district headquarter of Kalahandi) in between Bhawanipatna – Rayagada route. For more information and about the location you can e-mail
debasar11@yahoo.co.in or phone 91-6856-224012 (Prof. Bhagabat Rath).
Contact address
Daisingh Majhi
Convenor
Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti
Belamba, Lanjigada
Kalahandi
BELAMBA, LNJIGADA, KALAHANDI, ORISSA
PRESS RELEASE
VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY STERLITE COMPANY
ATTEMPT OF FORCEFUL EVICTION, BULLDOZED THE VILLAGE
Belamba(Kalahandi) 10.02.04: On February 01, 2004 the officers of Sterlite India limited the way they forcefully evicted a village Kinari violates human rights in our areas.
On 1st February, suddenly few people from the company with help of local police forced people of Kinari (nearly 35 houses) to pack their belongings. Later they kept them in the rehabilitation colony constructed on the slope of a hill by the company and bulldozed the entire Kinari village. It is true that that villager was given compensation money with help of district administration. But that money is still in the bank. Neither any one has purchased land nor the company has given them land in lieu of land. Even they were not given proper time to make the arrangement of their cattle. The way the company did this work and crushed their ancestral village is not only inhuman but is demonic also.
Now those people are crying. Only they have the last year’s crop with them and have no work now. All they are cordoned off by local police. Even we are not permitted to meet them. Are they dacoits or animals of a zoo for which the district administration, police and company is behaving in such way?
Here to say that, we the other villages like Kapaguda, Belamba, Turiguda, Sindhbahali, Boringpadar and Basantapada are opposing the Sterlite Company tooth and nail. We will not leave our land at any cost rather we would prefer to die. Such behaviour of the company, police and administration and ruling politicians is a lesson of all of us. Our struggle against the company is still going on non-violent way and very soon we would declare our programe against such demonic behaviour of the company.
Here we are requesting all concerned citizens, citizens groups, human rights groups and journalists to visit our areas and help us in bringing the truth. I on behalf of “Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti” am requesting all of you to condemn such inhuman incident of the Sterlite Company.
Daisingh Majhi
Convenor, Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti
(This is exact translation of the oriya Press Release distributed in the Kalahandi district and Bhubaneswar)
Sterlite vs Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti
About the Sterlite industries India ltd.
- The company is famous for copper smelting and refinery project
- Its Tuticorin project in Tamilnadu has been closed down due to public resistance. Coastal protection regulations were ignored even as the plant was emitting large quantities of arsenic, sulphur dioxide, lead, cadmium, antimony and bismuth.
- Purchased BALCO at low price
- Speedy growing company with help of ruling BJP
About the bauxite mining in Kalahandi
- Project cost is Rs 4500 crores
- The company is mobilizing fund through London Stock Exchange in name of Vedanta. Also Mauritian firm Twinstar Holdings plan to increase stake in Sterlite company violating its agreement with Government of India in case of transfer of BALCO.
- Production capacity is of 10 million tons alumina
- It would employ 250 people directly and 500 people indirectly according to its project report
- It would mine bauxite from Niyamgiri hill. The hill has 7.3 crores of tons of bauxite. The company agrees that the project would last for only 23 years. Because for producing 10 million tons of alumina in a year nearly 30tons of bauxite is required. The rest of 20tons red mud would be on the ground annually for ever polluting river , earth and ground water.
- Niyamgiri hill range stretches up to 1073.4 hectares of 508.638 hectares are reserved forest area. The company project report speaks that mining would take place in the reserved forest area also.
- Near the mining the company will have its alumina refinery plant.
- Because of plant it would displace nearly 60 families of two villages and would affect 302 families of 12 villages of two panchayats.
- For plant 1789.54 hectares of land is required out of which 1109.41 hectares private land.
Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti’s view point
Niyamgiri hill feeds nearly 40 villages directly who are inside the hill range. It has two rivers Bansadhara and Nagabali who supplies water to hundred villages. If mining took place it would dry up.
The tribal have their own economy. They depend both on forest and land. Simple money can not replace the livelihood.
It would pollute the ground water and air for which many people would suffer.
Resistance
The company has not yet completed the survey work due to resistance. Once they with district administration tried to conduct gramsabha but failed to do so. But officially collector said that gram sabha is not opposing the plant.
When on 2nd april people of the area were beaten up near to the police station in an occasion police closed its eyes. PUCL –Bhubaneswar and Rayagada Unit visited the area and condemned such incident in their report.
Whey chief minister came for the foundation stone on 8 June people could not able to do any thing because of heavy police. But two days later they destroyed the stone and got arrested.
The resistance is going on.
The company has not yet received environment clearance from the central government.
How to reach in the area: The area is on west side of Orissa. This is nearly 70 kilometers from Bhawanipatna ( district headquarter of Kalahandi) in between Bhawanipatna – Rayagada route. For more information and about the location you can e-mail
debasar11@yahoo.co.in or phone 91-6856-224012 (Prof. Bhagabat Rath). Contact address
Daisingh Majhi
Convenor
Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti
Belamba, Lanjigada
Kalahandi
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e-mail:
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