Real terrorists are those who destroy natural resources for private profit
-38 hills
have disappeared in Jharkhand due to stone-mining-
Stan Swamy
Profile of Jharkhand: Stone mining/quarrying Duration: last 14 years
Wealth made: Rs. 93,000 crores;
total
revenue to state govt: Rs. 515 crores
Stone-quarrying units (in
2014): 20,000
Wealth
made during 2014: Rs. 20,000 crores;
revenue to state govt: Rs. 81 crores
38 Hills in 5 Districts [Latehar, Gumla,
Lohardaga, Koderma, Sahibganj] have disappeared;
stone-mafias
in collaboration with govt officials and political leaders are guilty;
Govt’s Mines Dept, Forest Dept, District
Administration, Pollution Control Board are failing to fulfill their
responsibility;
3000
mines are operating illegally in Sahibganj and Pakur districts
[ all above data taken obtained from Prabhat
Khabar,23,24,25 April 2015]
The unfortunate victims are
the rural poor, especially the Adivasi people in whose land most of these mines
are illegally functioning.
Who will bell the cat? The
Jharkhand High Court is taking suo-motu action and has asked the state govt to
respond as to how 38 hills have vanished. [Prabhat Khabar 28 April
2015]
The General
Public has the right to know:
(1) who are the
mines/stone crusher owners? There are
presently 20,000 mines/crushers in operation. The state govt must release the
names of all the owners. The High Court
should demand that the govt submit the list in full;
(2) if Govt’s Mines Dept, Forest Dept, District
Administration, Pollution Control Board are all part of the game, those
responsible for these depts should be brought to book;
(3) the IAS officers occupying the position of
Secretaries of these depts. should be asked to explain as to how they allowed
this anomaly to go on for so many years;
(4) the state Cabinet Ministers of these portfolios need
to answer why they did not stop this loot;
(5) the MLAs and MPs some of whom are known to own these
mines/crushers should be asked to open their books and bank accounts.
(6) the Chief Ministers who ruled the state during these
14 years have a moral obligation to explain their inaction to stop this
wholesale loot.
The damage
caused by these mines/crushers is beyond description:
(1)
deep mines have drawn the water from the neighbouring areas making the wells
and ponds in the villages & fields to dry up;
(2) the
dust from the crushers have polluted the rivers and rivulets to the point of
their becoming unfit for human, animal consumption;
(3)
the air pollution in the form of dust emanating from the crushers has led to
serious respiratory illnesses to people, animals;
(4) layers of dust covering the
neighbouring fields, groves, vegetation is increasingly making the land barren
and unfit for cultivation;
(5) the powerful dynamite blasting in the mines shakes up the houses in
nearby villages so people cannot even sleep peacefully.
The injustice
done to the Indigenous Adivasi/Moolvasi farmers should be undone:
(1) it is common knowledge that most of these
stone mining is done in Adivasi land. The miners appoint dalals who cheat and/or threaten the poor Adivasi to agree to the
mining/quarrying. Some paltry amount of money is given to the Adivasi farmer.
He is made to put his signature/thumb impression on blank sheet of paper. He
will never know what is going to be written above his signature. He will never be able to recover his land.
Even if he recovers it, it will be unfit for any cultivation since the land will
have turned barren.
(2)
let it be borne in mind that this process of impoverishing the small/marginal
Adivasi land-owner is a great injustice done to him and his community. This
must be undone.
(3) the looted
money should be recovered from the illegal mine/quarry owner and an equitable
share of it must be given to the Adivasi farmer. It’s a question of justice.
Adivasi youth
have no other choice than join the militant forces: there is a
limit up to which one can be squeezed. When all those bearing social
responsibility in society have abandoned a particular section of society to be
ravaged by unscrupulous, selfish elements, the only way out is militancy which
revolts against the very economic,
social, political system. Rightly the SC observed
“If tribals’ land is being sold illegally, then they (tribals) will turn into
Naxalites…” [ SC verdict on 25
March 2014 on a PIL on illegal transfer of tribal land] .. Consequently we have a scenario where over 6000 young Adivasis
are languishing in the jails of Jharkhand. But sadly neither the Legislature
nor the Executive nor the Judiciary seem particularly concerned about it. Right
now about 150 prisoners in Ranchi jail who have served their full term of
conviction are in an indefinite hunger strike demanding their immediate
release. But no one seems concerned.
The Media
(electronic & print) has also abandoned its journalistic ethics: it
is common knowledge that most of the media is owned & controlled by
corporate houses. We make an earnest appeal that at least as professional
individuals they will obey the dictate of their conscience and bring out the
truth even if it is unpalatable to the powers that be. Let them for a start
bring out the list of names of the 20,000 illegal stone quarry owners.
Justice must
be restored so peace can prevail.
April 2015
