(Photo - KUNA BAG)
Political reactions across Balangir:-
Courtesy:-Dailypioneer written by :- Sudarshan Chhotray
Caught between the dual targets of massive industrialisation and agricultural expansion through extending irrigation coverage to the farmlands, the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government has become the real target of people.
Despite its tall claim of covering 35 per cent of cultivable land under assured irrigation facilities, the ground realities are something different. Policy analysts have found only 25 per cent of the land in the State to be under irrigation. With 11 major rivers, 12 river basins, seven big dams, 10 agro-climatic zones, four geo- climatic regions, 480-km long coastline and average rainfall of 1, 500mm, the State is still a less developed agricultural region. Climate change has affected monsoon and uncertainty of rainfall has made lives of the farmers miserable.
Many attributed drought, food insecurity, starvation deaths, migration, and suicide of farmers and above all marginalisation to inadequate irrigation facility. The diversion of water for industrial houses meant for irrigation has raised many eyebrows. Similarly, the Government’s failure in flood management also has been criticized by political parties and experts. An affidavit filed by the Water Resources Department in the Odisha High Court on August 30 last has confirmed 18 industrial houses are lifting water from four such dams, including Hirakud. This and other related allegations have indeed fuelled many controversies over distribution of water. That’s the reason people feel all the projects have been designed and directed towards facilitating industrial needs than the needs of the common people.
Just a month back, drought had engulfed almost fifty per cent of the State and the news of farmers’ suicide was much in the news headlines. People of Western Odisha were up in arms against a hydro-power project proposed near Sindhol village in Subarnapur district. Though this plant was planned ostensibly to augment the energy needs of the State, in reality people in Western Odisha put up a brave front against the project, which forced it to put off the project for the time being. For them it was a conspiracy to facilitate another Hirakud like big dam for which they are suffering since 1950.
Aung Irrigation project: People of Paikmal area under Padampur Sub Division in Bargarh district are up against a dam project which has posed a grave threat to their life and livelihood. They are claiming their ancestral home, cultivable land and locally available natural resources would be lost if the project is undertaken. Not only these, it would also harm their existing social relationship, age- old tradition and practice.
The proposed dam at Pujharipalli at a distance of 15 km from Padampur, would irrigate about 30,000 hectares of cultivable land of both Bargarh and Balangir districts, which are known as drought prone areas. The project, which was started at the initial cost estimate of Rs 304.66 crore as per the 1999 Consumer Price Index, has now been escalated to Rs 500 crore. The project was sanctioned by Central Water Commission on September 20, 2000 and the environmental clearance was issued on December 6, 2007. The project has the components of a 7480 meter length earthen dam near Pujarharipalli with irrigation potential of 50 km in downstream. Total and full storage in the dam will affect 5100 hectares of area including 167 hectares of Chhattisgarh State.
“As our area is rich in natural resources and people are rich in agriculture despite erratic monsoon and scanty rainfall with less irrigation facility, we have gained self sufficiency in agriculture and a common farmer is getting more yield than expected. Similar is the situation for landless farmers those who never feel they are landless. Rather, they adopt shared cultivation system which brings more benefit for them and they have nothing to worry of forced migration,” says Amrit Lal Sahoo, a retired Revenue Inspector of Saeikela village.
For Jaganath Pradhan of Samalpuri village it is a do-or-die struggle, as he is losing at least Rs 4 lakh per annum from his 15 acre of cultivable land . Even Government agencies collect seeds from him. Jagannath manages to run his 14-member family lavishly without any other income source. For him loosing land for a proposed project will cost him dearly. He is all set for self immolation if the project is undertaken forcibly. The Government has planned the project without proper verification of local resources, alleged members of Pujharipalli Dam Pratirodh Committee, the organisation which has been spearheading the movement against the proposed project. Due to stiff resistance from affected villagers, the first public hearing was turned a battle field.
As things stand today, where the people of Paikamal area have been continuing their protest demonstrations against the construction of the proposed Aung Dam, local politicians are leaving no stone unturned to pacify people’s growing dissent. The affected village believes the decision for construction of a dam at Pujharipalli was political one as former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Painaik had already laid foundation stone for Aung Irrigation Project at Chirroli, said Pujharipalli Dam Partirodh committee secretary Netrananda Behera.
Interestingly, foundation stone laying for Pujharipalli Dam site was conducted during the Congress regime by former Chief Minister J B Patnaik during the 90s. Since then, people of the region have been protesting against the construction of the dam starting from the massive rally at Padampur in the year 1989. Then came the boycott of panchayat elections en-masse in the year 2002 in all the four gram panchayats namely Alkmaar, Sareipalli, Lokharkota and Jagadalpur. Not a single vote was cast in all the 32 affected villages spread over the four panchayats, says Bhandari Marei of Chardhapalli village. Of late, the committee has formed village level struggle committees in all the 32 affected villages to give a brave front in resisting Government’s possible attempt to construct the dam. According to the agitating villages of Lakhmara revealed the dam will not only cause harm to four high schools including a tribal residential high school, a junior college and a number of primary schools, it would also cause harm to a number of area and endangered animals, birds, some medicinal plants, profitable tress, fruit and crop varieties.
Significantly, the calculation made by forty years’ old Bharat Bag of Sareikela Village tells a different story. According to him he gets 30 bags of paddy from an acre of agriculture land which will cost around Rs 11, 250.00. Besides these, he earns from oilseeds and cereals. Bharat says it would be painful for any farmer in sacrificing such prosperous areas for the sake of a so called development project which will bring only devastation. The most shocking effect of the proposed dam is the continuing existence of the prolonged traumatic situations undergone by the people of the region who during the last couple of decades couldn’t make any large investments in housing and other social and economical engagements, argues Bhakta Bariahha of Chardhapalli village.
Suktel Irrigation Project: Chabbilal Gadatia is dejected as he found that he had nothing to do, but hand over his two acres of agriculture land to Government for the construction of the proposed Lower Suktel Dam. Chabbilal, with his five-member family has been earning his livelihood depending upon his two acres of fertile land. Chabbilal along with his fellow villagers of Kainthapalli under Loisingha block of Balangir district are up in arms against the Government which is all set to oust them from their land for the proposed dam.
Kainthapalli is among 29 villages which would be affected by the proposed dam. According to the 1996 survey, at least 15,380 people of 4160 families spread over 26 villages of Balangir district will be displaced. Out of them, 1222 families are tribal, 575 are Scheduled Caste and remaining 2363 belong to OBC. The dam has been initiated to irrigate more than 31,830 hectares of agriculture land spread over 189 villages of poverty stricken and drought prone Balangir and Subarnapur districts. Under the Central Government’s Long Team Action Plan for the drought-prone KBK region, the dam has been approved by the Planning Commission in 1999, with an estimated cost of Rs 217.13 crore in 1996, which is now escalated to the tune of Rs 1,041.81 crore. But due to strong resistance and boycott of the displaced persons, land survey and acquisition process at the proposed dam site of Magurabeda, situated 22 km away from Balangir town had been halted. Latest Government report says land acquisition in 23 villages has been almost completed and process is yet to start in remaining six villages. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while reviewing the progress on August 30 last this year has instructed the authorities to speed up the construction work as soon as possible. After completion, the project will irrigate 29,850 hectares of agriculture land in Balangir and 1,980 hectares in Subarnapur district. Two canals will be constructed in right and left side of the reservoir. “Since the last seven years we have been living under uncertain future and passing through psychological trauma, following the declaration of the dam,” the locals lamented.
Unsightly landscapes and fetid surroundings governed their lives for 50 years. Thatched houses, sometimes asbestos and torn polythene for a ceiling made life in slums a never-ending misery.
Especially so during the rains when the water would wash away the cow dung plaster from the wall. Dwellers would have sleepless nights when roofs were blown away by strong winds.
But luck smiled on them promising a better and healthy life. The dwellers came out of the doles of disgrace as the Balangir municipality, within less than two years, completed half of the slum development projects sanctioned by the central government.
Out of the 10 slums on the outskirts of Balangir, dwellers have been settled in six locations. In the next step, the municipality will construct concrete roads, drains, water systems, a jogging track and a community hall giving the slums the look of a modern township.
Sraddhakar Naik, who has lived more than half his life in slums, said, "When I saw people around us living in good houses, I cursed my luck. But god is merciful. Now I am happy that my posterity won't blame me as it is they who will have a descent life."
Under Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP), around 100 houses have been built. Municipality executive officer P K Gardia said they have listed 324 beneficiaries. "We didn't go by BPL norms. We looked into the living condition, economic status and checked whether the beneficiary has any permanent home anywhere," said Gardia.
The total project cost is Rs 8 crore. The municipality is awaiting a grant of another Rs 4.5 crore. "We have provided RCC roof in 300 sq feet area. Each unit will have a bedroom, kitchen and a living room," Gardia informed.
Bijakhaman, Salepali, Larkipali, Bishnumunda, Khaliapali, Talpali Pada and Bibhuti Pada slums were identified for the project.
"These slums were in such a pitiable state that dwellers could not enter or come out of their homes. During the rainy season, life would really be miserable. Rain water would collect and mix with drain water and garbage. Apart from the stink, epidemics would spread, there would be skin and stomach ailments," said Adikanda Jani, a slum beneficiary at Larkipali, adding that they were deprived of basic facilities as none wanted to visit the stinking locality.
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It's good to see finally some govt organization that too a city municipality is actually Working !!! Keep Up the Good Work and hope politics and corruption will not become roadblock in the upliftment of the poor....
Courtesy:- The TelegraphBalangir-based cultural organisation Bhumika is all set to host Mathkhai Mahotsav, a multilingual theatre festival from January 23 to 27.
The five-day festival will showcase some of the best plays from across the country. Two Hindi and one Marathi play will be part of the fare.
President of the organising committee of the festival, Chitta Ranjan Dash said apart from staging plays from other states, the organisation would try to revive rural theatre, which was dying fast.
“This time we are focusing on the revival of rural theatre. Apart from the plays that will be staged every evening, rural artistes will also be provided the platform to stage their plays,” Dash said. The theatre festival will open with Koshali play Ukhi, written by Vinod Pasayat and directed by Suresh Chandra Sahu.
Pendish theatre group from New Delhi will stage Hindi play Sarkari Feminism written by Anuradha Marwa and directed by Sanjaya Kumar on January 24. On January 25, Marathi play Ajantha written and directed by Milind Inamdar will be staged by Srujan theatre group of Mumbai. On the fourth day of the festival Oriya play Chaitu will be staged by Pyayas theatre group of Rourkela. Nirman Kalamanch of Patna will stage Hari Shankar written by Srikant Kishore and directed by Sanjaya Upadhyaya.
Rural artistes will mostly perform mythological plays that are dying. They will perform plays such as Karna Badha, Laxmi Purana, Sita Chori and Ushabati Harana. On the opening day of the festival, the Natyajyoti flame will be taken out in a procession from the Mathkhai hill near Balangir. “The festival is named after Mathkhai hill as it symbolises the rich heritage of Balangir,” said Byasadev Nanda, secretary of Bhumika.
The number of malaria cases reported at the district headquarters hospital here has risen following last week’s sustained rainfall. Choked drains in several places of the town have become the breeding ground for mosquitoes. The biological vector control method has also come to a halt due to want of funds.
Sources said that there was waterlogging in several areas of the town, especially the low lying areas following last week’s rain. Small puddles of water and choked drains in front of houses provided ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed. Hospital sources said there was an unusual rise in malaria cases during the last few days, but there were no reports of deaths due to the disease.
Swagat Sahu, a local resident, said that three members of his family got malaria soon after the rain stopped and one had to be admitted to the district headquarters hospital.
The use of gambusia fish as part of the biological vector control method has been stopped due to want of funds. A variety of fish called gambusia, also known as mosquitofish, had been pressed into the job in the malaria-prone areas of Balangir district to stop further breeding of mosquitoes back in 2004. It had worked well.
Chief district medical officer (CDMO) of Balangir Purna Chandra Sahu admitted that there was a rise in malaria cases in the hospitals over the last few days. “Yes, there is a rise in Malaria cases over the last few days. Unfortunately the biological vector control method to control the breeding of mosquitoes has stopped. We were initially very enthusiastic about the new method. But, gradually, we realised that there was no special fund provision from the government to maintain a gambusia hatchery. As a result, the tanks dried up and the fish died,” Sahu said.
There were 15 tanks for gambusia in the district. “If a handful of fish is released into ponds or breeding places of mosquitoes like drains, then the larva of mosquitoes will vanish within hours as the fishes eat them,’’ said Sahu.
By:-Riyan Ramanath V (Courtesy:-Indian Express)
BALANGIR: While Gumagad, the first century BC military strategic hub, speaks volumes of a flourishing kingdom in the Tel river valley, a copper plate recently found at Kapsila village in Balangir district hints at existence of several kingdoms on either side of the valley.
Historians, who recently evinced interest in exploring more facts about the valley civilisation, opined that further excavation can unravel the history buried under the earth. This copper plate was interestingly found near the archaeological site of Kharligad near Gumagad.
Utkal University Archaeology Prof Sadasiva Pradhan, who got the copper plate from a Brahmin, said it contains information regarding the civilisation. He, however, had sent it to eminent epigraphist Sadananda Agrawal for deciphering.
According to Agrawal, as per the information on the copper plate, the civilisation dates back to the 8th century AD.
“The Udayapur area, the capital of Rashtrakuta kings who ruled the valley, is still dotted with standing structure and ruins. These are mostly found at Amathgad. Ruins of a medieval fort too exist here,” said Agrawal.
Earlier, Prof Pradhan had excavated the Gumagad site, where he found a strategic military hub of the first century BC. It was set up by a contemporary of King Kharavela.
Studying further into the formation on copper plate, Agrawal said that a king called Khadgasingha had donated a village Remudaka (modern Remanda) in Saintala. This also throws light on the civilisation.
He feels that further excavation by expert archeologists with the government’s support would shed more light on the civilisation.
The other four copper plates found earlier at Terssingha village also spoke of the Tel valley civilisation.
Those plates had information regarding the two capitals – Udayapur and Parbatadwaraka – which were under the rule of Rashtrakutas and local chieftains belonging to different clans.
The silver jubilee of the movement against mining of bauxite in Gandhmardan hill range didn’t come with a taste of success achieved by the people and the activists, but with another call for the local people to get up once again for the protection of the hill that provided livelihood to lakhs and played a major role in balancing the local ecology. It’s already 19 years since the last movement could compel the state government to stop mining in the hill range. The Gandhamardan Surakshya Yuva Parisad People’s Movement has already celebrated its silver jubilee. Yet, even today Gandhamardan resounds with the slogans like “BALCO hatao, Gandhamardan bachao!” [Ban BALCO, save Gandhamardan]. Players of the last movement still chant - “Let land go, life go, but long live Gandhamardan. After BALCO, NALCO had also eyed upon the 213 Million Ton bauxite reserved in Gandhamardan. But apprehending that a quick persuasion of the mining proposal would convert the whole affair into a misadventure, NALCO preferred maintaining silence even though its proposal is still in the queue. | ||||
Inspired by the huge reserve of bauxite, Officials from NALCO visited Gandhamardan hill range on March 23, 2007 being accompanied by the then Chief Secretary of Orissa and other higher officials to discuss mining in Gandhamardan. As a reaction Tankapani village saw a rather huge congregation of people on April 1, 2007 followed by another on May 3, 2007. Reminded of the agitation against BALCO, NALCO retraced its steps. Now, the new owner of BALCO – Vedanta is again excited to venture into Gandhamardan for mining of bauxite from the belly of the hill range. The conspiracy is never-ending. After being denied the Niyamgiri hills, Mukesh Kumar – the CEO of Vedanta – met the officials of Orissa Mining Corporation to give all OMC officials a big shock who advised Mukesh Kumar not to rather ask for Gandhamardan as it would put the company in a much bigger trouble than what it experienced at Niyamgiri. Immediately, on the 27th of September 2010, the Gandhamardan Surakshya Yuva Parishad, a conservationist outfit dedicated to protect Gandhamardan, arranged a public meeting to make the people aware of the developments. In the present scenario, companies like Vedanta et al are only too anxious to mine and lift the 213 million tonnes of bauxite lodged inside Gandhamardan. And, as a counter the local populace is up in arms spreading awareness and organising the mass for a protest in the form of a huge agitation on the 1st of January 2011. According to Dhiren Mohanty, the Convener of Gandhamardan Surakshya Yuva Parishad, the forthcoming agitation is going to take the shape of a gigantic agitation that is going to put an all time end to the operations by the Gangs 213 MT. The Parishad has decided to submit a memorandum to the governments at the Centre and State demanding protection and security of Gandhamardan. They propose to place before the government a demand that any further requests for mining in Gandhamardan by any company be rejected summarily by OMC. Gandhamardan is a 90 km long and 20 km wide hill range spread over Padmapur in Baragarh district and Patnagarh subdivision in Bolangir district. It is a part of the Eastern Ghat mountain range of Western Odisha and is popular in many other names like ‘Vindhya Giri’ and ‘Gandhagiri’. 800 meters above sea level, it is located between 82-54 East longitude and 20-54 north latitude. According to records, the annual rainfall here is approximately 1363 mm. The total hill range has 20 thousand hectares of tropical forests and land divided into two forest divisions – Bolangir Forest Division and Bargarh Forest Division. The northern portion is in Bolangir district while the western part lies in Bargarh district. The initial satellite map survey showed that Gandhamardan had 840 streams. Due to environmental catastrophe resulted by BALCO’s test mining in the eighties hundreds of natural springs faced an abrupt unnatural death. At present only 152 small springs making 22 major streams and four waterfalls do remain. These streams are not rain-fed but they are the main source of water for the two important rivers of Western Odisha— Anga and Suktel. If the water sources from the Gandhamardan hill range die out, then, inevitably, the process of desertification would be expedited in the already famine prone districts of Bolangir, Nuapada and Kalahandi. BALCO had come in search of bauxite deposits in Gandhamardan after completely destroying the hydrological stability and sanctity of another important mountain ‘Amar Kantak’ in Madhya Pradesh – the source of the waters of the Narmada, the Sone and the Mahanadi rivers. The destruction of Amar Kantak to feed its one lakh tonne aluminium plant at Korba in Madhya Pradesh was a high cost to pay for the reserves. In 1978-79, after BALCO abandoned Amar Kantak Hill range in Madhya Pradesh, the then Central Cabinet Minister for Mines, Biju Patnaik showed it the way to the holy hills of Gandhamardan in Odisha. In the eighties, the Congress Party and the then Chief Minister of Odisha J. B. Patnaik were only too eager to act on a deal with BLACO. In 1983, the then union minister for mines N.K.P. Salve along with CM J.B. Patnaik laid the foundation stone for BALCO’s mining project in Gandhamardan that was to mine bauxite worth 1500 crores of rupees. BALCO promised to give employment to hardly 2000 local people with the requisite qualification and experience. This was a mockery on the local people who were poor tribals and hardly had any education and experience of bauxite mining. Political leaders and the representatives of BALCO could not find any solution to the problem that day. Questions from the local public rendered them answerless and compelled them to turn back. The J.B. Patnaik Government tried to use coercion to suppress the voice of the people. But they could not contain the seeds of dissatisfaction that started taking roots. Two specific incidents inflamed people to join the movement to save their hill god from the brutalities by a company named BALCO. One, the test blast in the Gandhamardan hills that shook the ancient Nrusinghanath temple to such an extent that the Garuda Stambha collapsed and tremors were felt both in distant villages including the two major centres of religious belief Hari Shankar and Nrusinghanath. Cracks due to the tremors were so strong in many places that the utensil and other household materials fell down making people feel absolutely insecure. Secondly, the catch dam made by BALCO at Manabhanga in the name of supporting irrigation turned out to be a sham as instead of building anything beneficial for the public, it submerged about 30 acres of fertile land and the famous orchards of Madhuban – the primary source of livelihood for the people of 5 Gram Panchayats. These two incidents fuelled the movement against BALCO and made it more poignant. The local people were petrified by the tremors that shook their homes and created cracks in their walls. The mass dissatisfaction took a fierce shape in the Nrusinghanath temple congregation and the seed of an organised movement to save Gandhamardan was sown here in February 1985. The news of Paikamal agitation did spread like wildfire to the districts of Bolangir, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada and even to the neighbouring state, Chhatisgarh. In the summer vacation of 1985, a group of NSS volunteers of Sambalpur University had camped in the Gandhamardan hills. The campers observed the situation and could feel the impending danger to Gandhamardan and the complete ecosystem if mining was to continue in the region. Some of the campers formed a group for the protection of Gandhamardan. In an organised manner they spread awareness amongst the people of that area. On the 14th of August 1985, 19 young men joined hands to form the Gandhamardan Surakshya Yuva Parishad and shouted with the slogan that echoed in every household - “Amar dabi maan Sarkar, BALCO asura nai darkar”, which means - Government must concede to our demand; we do not need BALCO monster! The reverberation reached the government and BALCO was forced to move out and the people’s movement won the battle. After several rounds of discussions with the people of the area to motivate them in support of BALCO, the then Chief Minister Janaki Ballhav Patnaik realised the significance of Gandhamardan and its links with the life and sentiment of the people. In meetings between the public, the representatives of BALCO and Chief Minister Janaki, the BALCO officials were at a loss to answer the public questions raised by the Chief Minister. In an endeavour at justice, J.B. Patnaik withdrew the permission given to BALCO on 15.09.1989 to mine Gandhamardan. Yet the people didn’t forgive the government led by JB and, as a consequence, Congress lost in the 1990 assembly elections. Soon after he acquired the chair of Chief Minister, Biju Patnaik once again headed for Delhi to chart out the mining of Gandhamardan and also to establish an Alumina Plant there. This he did as per the advice of some political colleagues and bureaucrats. But after studying the files from the days of JB Patnaik, he realised the blunder he was about to make. Sticking to the promises he made to his electorate, he scratched the MOU signed with BALCO in the floor of the assembly. That day Biju Patnaik addressed a huge bicycle rally by the people of Western Odisha in Bhubaneswar and said; “I am the leader of the people. The wish of the people is what I wish. I killed Monster BALCO forever”, remembers Kuna Purohit, coordinator of Gandhamardan Surakshya Yuva Parishad. A retired officer of Orissa Mining Corporation remembers the scintillating agitation of Gandhamardan and says, ‘Mining in Gandhamardan can become a nightmare for any company. Mining Projects should not be encouraged here. Rather, the protection of Gandhamardan is an absolute necessity. Gandhamardan is not merely an assembly of rocks, springs, plants and bauxite, but the representative of nature, age old legends, history, architecture, tradition, philosophy, science and tourism. It provides livelihood to over one lakh people directly. It exhibits an unprecedented amalgamation of the Aryan-Dravidian and the Vaishanavite – Shaiva traditions. Gandhamardan has its sacred place in the Puranas and the Ramayana. In 1413 AD, king Baijaldev of Bolangir and his queen had built the Nrusinghanath and Harishankar temples on either sides of the hill. The temples are unique because the idol of “Bidal Nrusingha” worshipped in the Nrusinghanath temple is not seen anywhere else in India, also the Vaishnav God Hari and the Shaiva God Shankar are worshipped in this sacred place. Scholars from across the country and abroad visit Gandhamardan to study Indian medicinal science, culture, tribal life etc. Mining in Gandhamardan will destroy all it is worshipped for and will also ruin the social and economical backbone of over one lakh people. The every day earnings of the people here is possible due to the commerce of medicinal plants, firewood, forest and agricultural produce from the Gandhamardan. Mining will certainly squeeze the life blood out of this place and force the rich identity and civilization to die out. Instead, it could be developed as a hot spot of eco-tourism.” Manoranjan Ray, a scholar from Mumbai how doing a research on the legends and history of Gandhamardan says that ‘this mountain range nestles about 18 historical forts. It is said that the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna had established a school here. Certain stone edicts suggest that the Chinese traveller Hueng Sang had visited Gandhamardan. Even sant Kabir had spent a period of his life in this place. The hut where he lived stands a silent testimony to that. The religious sentiments of the people around and Chhatisgarh have also a close association with Gandhamardan, which is popularly known as the abode of Gupta Ganga. Apart from this, Gandhamardan is an ecological wonder. It is a host to many herbs and plants that are either extinct elsewhere or are on the verge of extinction’. While explaining the specialties of Gandhamardan for the world of Ayurveda and nature therapy, Principal of Sri Sri Nrusinghanath Ayurvedic College and Hospital Dr Sushil Kumar Mahapatra says, ‘Gandhamardan hosts approximately three thousand or more species of medicinal herbs and plants. A survey conducted between 1990 and 1995 by noted botanists Dr. M. Brahma and Dr. Hari Om Saxena revealed that 784 species of plants thought extinct on the earth existed in Gandhamardan. British botanist H.H. Hines had conducted another research here between 1921 and 1925 and discovered varieties of plants and noted down their unique medicinal properties. In 1950, famous Ayurvedic doctor Herbert Moony reported the existence of 1247 variety of herbs and creepers that were almost extinct. In 1963-64, the Botanical Survey of India reported the presence of 2400 varieties of precious medicinal plants and 300 different varieties of rare herbs and creepers. In its report, the Regional Plant Research Centre has published that Gandhamardan is a boon for Ayurvedic Science and treatment as it is unique and there is no second to it exists elsewhere in India. The medicinal properties of Satabari, Panibel and Pancharistha herbs found in the Gandhamardan are just superb in terms of medicinal value and quality. Therefore, one should not even entertain the thought of mining in Gandhamardan.’ Department of Forests and Environment, Government of Odisha in its annual financial report 2009-10, (page 12) has published that “there are 225 different varieties of near-extinct plants in the Gandhamardan. Over and above this, 136 varieties of very rare species of Orchids are found here. 3000 hectares of forest land around the Gandhamardan have been reserved for preservation and medicinal plant culture. With aid from the Ministry of Health, Government of India, a conservation project worth lakhs of rupees is in operation here. Conservation of bio-diversity and medicinal plants has been undertaken in over 1000 hectares of forest land under the project. The project has involved the people of 25 neighbouring villages.’ A decade long struggle from 1982 to 1991 to save the land, water and forest of Gandhamardan ended with promises from the then leaders like JB Patnaik and Biju Patnaik. People were assured that mining would be completely fore banned in this area. But the craze for aluminium worldwide has again allured the governments and Indian leaders to build up nexus with corporate players and dig bauxite out of Gandhamardan by destroying an ecological heaven on the earth. In this regard, a memorandum was submitted to the President and the Prime Minister in September 2010 by a stalwart of the Gandhamardan Protection Movement (in the eighties), Prasanna Sahu alias Swami Somabesh. ‘Then the leaders were listening to the demands of people and realised the arguments behind the demands. Two of Odisha’s Chief Ministers JB Patnaik and Biju Patnaik went by people’s demands and cancelled the proposals of mining in Gandhamardan. Now the leaders have not remained the same. People’s desire and voice have become secondary in front of political aspirations of leaders’, says Swami Somabesh while stapling his two page appeal addressed to the president of India. Through these years, the scenario has changed. Corporate invasion has been allowed in the name of economic liberalisation and development putting in place a feudalistic system of Governance under the mask of democracy. Loyalty of leaders has shifted its focus from people to their political masters. The craze for investment and industries has opened up opportunities for corporate players who have rushed in to loot the resources at the cost of common man’s livelihood. In spite of being elected by people, the government of Orissa has successfully alienated itself from people and has ordered its police to spray bullets on people and mercilessly combat all people’s movements raised to safeguard and execute their own rights given by the constitution of India. Inspired by the changed situation, at least ten companies have applied to mine bauxite in the sacred hill of Gandhamardan. Crazy to sign MoU and show a bigger figure and investment mobilised, the government and its mining leasing and distribution agency OMC have put all the application in queue. On the other side, people living around Gandhamardan are again coming together to face any consequence to save their soul and god Gandhamardan. At one end, the allurement of investment and promises made to the corporate houses; and an ecological heaven and livelihood of lakhs of people at the other. Interestingly, and ironically, the MLAs, MPs and Ministers who started their career in politics with such movements like the anti-BALCO movement of the eighties have sacrificed their voice against a ministerial berth or to prove their loyalty to the party chief. In such a situation, Gandhamardan sees no hope in its political products. But the hope lies with lakhs of people living in and around gandhamardan for whom the thick forest cover on the hill is the primary source of livelihood. Hope lies with Iswar Birja and Jambabati Birja who lost everything – their land, the job of Iswar Birja and many more – just to save Gandhamardan from the corporate brutality. ‘We succeeded once in protecting Gandhamardan and will do anything to protect it if anybody ventures to destroy it for mining. The government can’t go against our wish because we are also a part of the government’, says Jambabati Birja. Gandhamardan is not just a hill covered by thick vegetation or just a deposit of bauxite. It is central to a system that rules the local ecology. So mining in the hill will not only destroy the forest that bears thousand varieties of species but will ruin the water sources and economic backbone of local people. So, before taking any decision about mining in Gandhamardan the government should give a look at the earlier movements and take into consideration the emotional attachment of people with the hill and its bounty of nature. But the question is, whether the government led by Naveen Patnaik will behave as a people’s government or will stand by the corporate players and ignore people’s voice and their demands. It’s to be seen if 213MT bauxite and the promises of investment by a few profit monger corporate players allure the government or the people’s demand to protect their livelihood source compels the corporate loving Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to leave Gandhamardan to remain the nature’s paradise. However, when the government is already in trouble for violating the norms of Forest and environment Act to favour corporate houses at Niyamgiri and POSCO project area, any step for mining in Gandhamardan would make history repeat and prove to be another nightmare for the government and the corporate houses involved in it as it happened with the government led by Janaki Ballhav Patnaik and the BALCO. | ||||
