One year back, Ratan Tata’s dream project of world’s cheapest car Nano was pulled out of West Bengal due to continuous agitation from Singur villagers. It seems that it’s now L. N. Mittal’s turn to face similar music in Jharkhand. Strong protest over land acquisition from tribes of Jharkhand may force Arcelor-Mittal to look for some other state for its proposed Rs 50bn steel plant.
Last week, N. N. Sinha, secretary (industries), Government of Jharkhand, claimed that Arcelor-Mittal can shift to some other location within the state due to resistance by villagers at Torpa in Khunti district. The fact that steel giant is facing same situation in both Khunti and Gumla districts, may discourage Mittal to look for some other location within the state. Mittal could even decide to leave Jharkhand if the situation does not improve. The company needs 6000 acre of land for production of 12-million tonne of steel per annum.
Main reason behind the protest can be attributed to the lack of vision of villagers and being misled by politicians and local leaders. It’s a common perception among tribesmen in Jharkhand that their progress and development is possible only if they have more and more land. And this conviction is continuously intensified by their leaders. Bandi Oraon, the former vice president of National Commission for Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe says that if the lands are taken away from the tribes, they will not survive because their lives, culture, identity, autonomy, social system and economy are based on land and forest. Some politicians are also trying to amend the CNT Act (Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act). Though the act allows a tribal to sell his land only to a tribal of same police station, but it also grants some permission for sale and purchase of tribal lands for development work.
Mittal earlier wanted to start its Jharkhand plant before a similar plant in Orissa but the group was unhappy with the progress made by Jharkhand government. Later the group decided to pursue the Orissa project first. When are the political leaders in Jharkhand going to understand that its time they moved out of the ‘Forest Age’?
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