URGENT: POLICE ATTACKS TRIBAL VILLAGES RESISTING STEEL FACTORY IN ORISSA’S KALINGA NAGAR
March 30, 2010
Like the tribal movement in Niyamgiri, the tribal resistance against the Tata steel project in Kalinga Nagar is also a battle for saving livelihood and ecology. Kalinga Nagar is located in Jajpur district of Orissa where thousands of acres of tribal land have been sold away to steel companies to create India’s biggest steel manufacturing hub. After the first dozen factories were setup people realised they were not getting employment, there was too much pollution and social chaos. See this video…
So they organised themselves and challenged the displacement… On 2nd Jan 2006 14 tribals including women and children were shot dead by the police for opposing the Tata steel project… After that there have been several attempts by the mafia to assassinate the tribal leaders of the movement… For the last 3 months the resistance villages have been surrounded by police forces with the steel companies even officially sponsoring a new police station in the area…. there have been repeated midnights raids upon the villages… Please see this video for more about this…
On March 28,2010 the Bisthapan Birodhi Jan Manch leaders and villagers welcomed Jajpur District Collector and had a discussion with him on the controversial common corridor though they knew it very well the district administration had other motives. After talks with activists of Bisthapan Birodhi Jan Manch and more than 300 villagers the Collector assured them that there would be no construction activity for the Common Corridor Road till the matter is resolved through dialogue. But the administration has gone back on its words. They started the work yesterday and made a huge media publicity of the event to provoke people. In today’s newspapers the SP has said ‘protestors will not be spared’ and the Collector is saying “construction of the road will happen at any cost.”
This gave the manch no other alternative but to protest. But today 29 platoons of armed police with 60 officers and hundreds of BJD and Tata goons reached the place of dispute. They first denied media any entry to the place and the started attacking the peacful protesters. Many have been injured including women and children as indisciminate rubber bullet firing and lathi charge has taken place. They have entered the villages and unleashed a reign of terror. The villagers have tremendous patience and are still resisting peacefully. The area has become a war zone and more than a dozen people including women and children have been seriously injured.
This is being carried out under the supervision of IG Special Operations, Arun Sadangi. Despite Sec 144 being imposed in the area large number of Tata supporters, BJD cadre have assembled at the site and are giving instructions to the police. All people who have a conscience must act now as democracy in Kalinganagra is being butchered in the most vulgar manner and the political and bureaucratic leadership of the state have completely sold themselves to the Tatas. There has been absolutely not even a murmur of protest from any of the mainstream political party leaders which signifies the absolute power Tata wields over them. Just now reports reach us suggesting that firing has started in Baligootha village and where about of the leaders are not known.
One person, Member Kalundia received bullet wounds in the chest and legs… Police has demolished houses and set them ablaze… Cattle have been indiscriminately shot at… Two days before Orissa Day the Govt celebrates with a bloodbath…
The latest update is that the police has vacated the village but has gathered about half a kilometer away in front of Rohit Ferro Chrome Factory where the construction of the common corridor road is to begin… All houses have been ransacked… foodstocks set afire… televisions, radios, etc have been destroyed… the girl who was beaten up by police has been admitted to the hospital… its not clear yet how many have been arrested but some 20-30 people have sustained serious injuries in the attack…
May 10, 2010 at 7:43 am
Tata Steel Group is among the top 10 steel makers in the world with operations across the globe. With demand for steel becoming stronger, Tata Steel is expanding its production capacity in India and has some Greenfield projects under implementation, including the one at Kalinganagar Industrial complex at Jajpur in Orissa.
To strengthen the century old relationship between Orissa and Tata Steel, the company signed the MoU for this ambitious steel project at Orissa on November 17, 2004. The MoU was signed by Mr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Principal Secretary (Steel & Mines) on behalf of Government of Orissa and by Mr. B. Muthuraman, the former Managing Director of Tata Steel, in a ceremony at the State Secretariat in Bhubaneswar, in the presence of the Chief Minister of Orissa, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, Chairman of Tata Group, Mr. Ratan Tata, Managing Director of Tata Steel, Mr. H. M. Nerurkar and many other dignitaries.
As per the MoU, the Government of Orissa agreed to provide 3,471.808 acres of land, which was acquired in 1992 through Industrial Development Corporation of Orissa to set up the steel plant at Kalinganagar. The total number of extended families being rehabilitated for this project will be about 1195.
Preliminary work focusing on land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement work is in progress at the moment. When complete, the Kalinganagar project is slated to bring significant breakthrough in the overall development of the State.
Relocation of people has an enormous socio-economic & psychological impact. At such vulnerable times, the ‘reassurance’ that life would not only be the same, but much better, is of utmost importance.
Therefore, Tata Steel recognises the need to handle the resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected families with utmost care. It has designed its R&R. Programme to provide a fair and an innovative compensation package that encompasses all aspects of personal as well as community development. The Company is considering the people displaced by the upcoming Greenfield projects as part of its own family, the ‘Tata Steel Parivar’. The scheme is more focused, with special attention being paid to each individual family.
4 ‘R’ Theme of the ‘Tata Steel Parivar’ Rehabilitation Scheme includes: -
· Reassuring Communication – ‘The Vision for a Better Tomorrow’
· Resettling the Displaced Population with Care
· Rehabilitation – Ensuring Better Quality of Life, Income & Happiness
· Re-Check Implementation through self & independent social audits
Tata Steel’s Resettlement and Rehabilitation policy reaches well beyond the scope of the Government’s R&R policy in order to ensure maximum benefit for the affected families. That includes:
Proper Communication: – Tata Steel has a strong communication team that tells each family about their benefits and entitlements with active facilitation from all stakeholders with the help of detailed family mapping. Further another team monitors and facilitates the well-being of the members of Tata Steel Parivar.
Resettling at a New Place: – Every kind of assistance is provided to each family during the process of resettlement. Transit accommodation facilities are provided for comfortable stay till the families build their permanent houses. Transit camps have all the basic amenities like water supply, electricity supply, ration, community space, grain storage facility, children’s recreation park, toilets, welfare office, balwadis, dispensary etc. A welcome package consisting of new clothes / garments for the family members, ration, house hold articles etc is provided to each family. Tata Steel has also constructed three resettlement colonies at Trijanga, Sansailo and Gobarghati keeping the needs of the tribal populace in mind.
Ensuring Better Quality of Life, Income & Happiness: – In order to ensure visible growth in the lifestyle of the rehabilitated families Tata Steel has created manifold facilities in –
• Education
• Health
• Preservation of Culture & Heritage
• Women Empowerment
• Development of Livelihood opportunities
• Infrastructural development
Education & Technical Training: – Tata Steel has taken care of the youths of displaced families to ensure a bright future for them. Balwadis and schools are set up for the furtherance of education along with scholarships for meritorious students. Tata Steel has also helped many dropouts in being admitted to various nearby Ashram Schools as well as in Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences in Bhubaneswar, with which the Company has signed a MoU.
Medical Services: – Tata Steel also provides medical services to the displaced families in the colonies. Medical vans visit colonies regularly with medical supplies and treat the ailing. Critically ill patients are sent to Hi-tech medical College at Bhubaneswar.
Women Empowerment: – Tata Steel has created 24 SHG groups for the empowerment of women among the displaced families. It provides various livelihood trainings so that women can become self-sufficient. In fact one of the Tata Steel Parivar SHG, Sarjam Sakamb has been felicitated by the Honble Chief Minister for its extraordinary contribution.
May 19, 2010 at 6:23 am
Report by Orissadiary correspondent; Kalinganagar:
Panchayati Raj Institutions members Sukinda and Dhangadi blocks of Jajpur district wherein Kalinganagar Industrial Complex is located condemn vested interests for blocking the development in Kalinganagar.
They says in a press statement to Orissadiary.com that it is extremely unfortunate that various activists and self centered vested interests are blocking the development of our Kalinganagar Industrial Complex by using the miscreants of so called Bistapana Birodhi Mancha. The miscreants under the banner of Bistapana Birodhi Mancha have been torturing the local poor tribals and making money for their personal benefits.
Some local industries are also supporting the miscreants of Bistapana Birodhi Mancha (BBJM) by financing through anti-national activists. These miscreants have never allowed entry of democratic political parties into the red area of Kalinganagar. Even with the help of extreme left parties like CPI(ML) and their associates, the BBJM strongly crticised national leaders like Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Atal Bihari Bjapayee, Lal Krisnha Adavani apart from Naveen Pattnaik in the recent past. They even termed these leaders as “DALALS”. From this it is clear that BBJM is under the control of extreme left wing elements like that of CPI(ML) and their associates and trying to use the mainline political parties like that Congress, BJP, CPI, CPM for getting the support of the people.
The recent unfortunate death of Laxman Jamuda in Kalinganagar have become rallying point of politics by BBJM and their activists and CPI(ML) friends. We appeal all the Political Parties and clear thinking citizens of Orissa not to again fall into the trap of supporting Bistapana Birodhi Mancha and their extreme left wing activists friends, as substantial foreign funding is coming to these people not to allow Kalinganagar Industrial Complex to grow.
They said in a statement that we the sarpanches and samiti members of Kalinganagar strongly denounce the opportunistic nasty politics played by the BBJM along with their activists friends to stop our people’s devlopment in Kalinganagar and once again appeal to all mainline democratic political parties not to support them.
May 25, 2010 at 10:47 am
Industrialization brings socio-economic development to the society. It provides education, employability with many other parallel facilities like better lifestyle, healthcare system etc. But unfortunately the development of 6 million tonne project by Tata Steel at Kalinganagar is facing much hindrance from a selected group of people having some unusual motive. Tata Steel assures relocation of each and every affected family with better & improved lifestyle.
Tata Steel has taken the initiative to spread 100% education ( Kalinganagar – Tata Parivar Education) among the tribal people of Kalinganagar, empowered the women to become earning members of the family, providing modernized medical services to the displaced members of Kalinganagar.
So, when Tata Steel is actually adding benefits to the tribal society of Kalinganagar and even the displaced members themselves are happy with the industrialization, which are the people who do not want development of the Kalinganagar tribal society or does not want the development of our nation?
Are they competitors of Tata Steel or anti India development group receiving motivation from internationalists?
June 7, 2010 at 9:49 am
At Kalingangar in Jajpur district of Odisha, Tata Steel for its rehabilitated families known as Tata Steel Parivar has initiated an innovative step for the all round development of the relocated families of Kalinganagar. While Tata Steel is setting up a 6 million ton steel plant in Kalinganagar, it has also given a guarantee for improving the quality of life of Kalinganagar people under Tata Steel Parivar. Its innovative efforts for their sustainable development has started to blossom in Kalinga Nagar.
One of the initiatives of this kind is the herbal garden on two acres land led by rehabilitated tribal at Gobarghati Tata Parivar Rehabilitation Colony of Kalinga Nagar ( Kalinga Nagar – Tata Steel Parivar – Herbal Gardening). In this path breaking initiative of herbal gardening, the officials of Tata Steel imparted basic skills and know-how to the involved families to start a demonstration unit spread over 2 acres. This has been developed keeping in mind the elderly and widowed displaced families, who find it difficult to train in technical skills and would prefer to stick to their traditional skills related to farm. The key objective of this demonstration unit is to demonstrate economic, environmental and medicinal benefit to the displaced families of Kalinga Nagar, so that, they can ensure replication for setting up commercial herbal gardening ventures. The herbal nursery was first started with five relocated families. The two-acre garden consists of mostly medicinal plants like Catheranthus roseus, Aloevera etc. Along with medicinal flowering species seasonal flowers like Balsam, Antirrahinum, Inca Marigold, Verbina, Catharanthus Rosas, Celocia, Salvia, Dianthus etc and exotic vegetables including lettuce, celery, parsley and broccoli are also being grown.
While the herbal garden will provide earning opportunities to the members of Tata Steel Parivar, it is also a key step for protecting the valuable herbs available in the Kalinganagar locality.
So, when Tata Steel is actually contributing to the socio-economic development of rural Odisha, we, as responsible citizens of India should support the efforts of Tata Steel for the betterment of Odisha as well as our country.
June 17, 2010 at 7:49 am
Tata Steel Paribars – the rehabilitated families in Kalinganagar in Jajpur district of Orissa have achieved two Millennium Development Goals of United Nations well before the timelines of 2015 AD. While the first Millennium Development has set a time line of 2015 to ensure Universal Primary Education, the second millennium development goal stresses upon removal of gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2015 AD.
Tata Steel which has given a guarantee to improve the quality of life substantially within five years for the rehabilitated families of Tata Steel Paribar at Kalinganagar, have already achieved this in the field of education within first four years of rehabilitation at Kalinganagar. The Rehabilitation and Resettlement team of Tata Steel ensures and motivates all the children above the age of 3 to attend a school starting from Balwadis operating in the rehabilitation townships and monitors & tracks the performance of each child. This has ensured Zero School dropout amongst the children of rehabilitated families. It may be noted that while the country’s elementary school dropout rate is around 23% and that of Orissa is around 26%.
Further constant persuasion with the parents and facilitating in creating opportunities in boarding schools including that in KISS have ensured 100% education for the girl child of Tata Steel Paribar starting from primary levels to secondary level and higher professional levels like that of Engineering, Business Management etc.
Another impressive achievement for Tata Steel Paribars at kalingangar is the drastic jump of the literacy levels from 45% ( in 2005) to 65% in 2010 amongst its members. Computer Based Functional Literacy (CBFL) through 6 Adult literacy centers has been giving participants the opportunity to acquire literacy skills
Education in Tata Steel Parivar is being handled through 12 education centers currently running at five locations catering to 105 children in the age group of 3 to 5 years and 122 children in 6 to 14 years age group. A thorough monitoring system on monthly basis is in place to track performance of children in acquiring language and arithmetic skills through these centers. Children are also provided with novel opportunities to expose themselves into various extra curricular activities to foster the spirit of creativity, inquisitiveness, self motivation and discipline for a harmonious well being of mental and physical health. In the past years series of workshops were held on creative writing, painting, dramatics etc and children came out with flying colors displaying their latent talents and got awarded in different creative pursuits on the occasion of Sishu Mela. Since last year an annual children’s magazine viz. Ama Prathama Lekha is being published capturing children’s expectations, aspirations, whims and fancies in their writing.
In order to ensure quality education for Tata Steel Parivar children, the capacities of the teachers are being built through specific training programs conducted by the experts from ‘Prathama Orissa’. The programs update teachers’ teaching techniques and hone their skills in innovative teaching and learning methods.
As many as 159 tribal children have been enrolled in the residential schools in the district and 50 children have got the opportunity of studying in one of the premier schools in Orissa viz. Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS). In addition to the residential schools, as many as 213 children are in schools as day scholars.
While education gives the ability to comprehend information, Sports inculcates the sense of discipline, develops the spirit of competition and the ability to thrive in adverse situations without compromising on the values.