Press release
A team comprising Dr. B.D. Sharma former Commissioner for scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, K.N. Pandit, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikash Andolan, Chakradhar Haibru, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Manch, Kalinganagar, B.P. Rakshit, Peoples Democratic Front of India and Ajay, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan visited the proposed POSCO site. The team intended to work out the facts finding and situation prevailing in the proposed POSCO steel plant site in the district Jagatsinghpur, Orissa covering 12 village of 3 Gram Panchayat namely Gadkujang, Nuagaon & Dhenkia.
We proceeded to visit the area on 5th December 2007, via - Trilochanpur to the proposed POSCO site. We found the road barricaded by the police. They stopped us and searched our bags etc. Thereafter we again started to move onwards. We found another police picket at Trilochanpur where we are again stopped and our all belongings were searched again by the police. The road was fully barricaded at the moment. Some people were standing thereby.
They started to oppose our entry into the village Dhenkia. We found immediately after that some more persons in huge number were drawn on the spot seem to be more aggressive and violent. They were using filthy and derogatory language against us in the presence of the police who remained silent spectators and asked us to go back immediately. After getting back we met the S.P., Jagatsingpur at his residence and told him our agonies and harassment at the Trilochanpur post. This is ironical that Trilochanpur is not included the proposed POSCO site area and the people who misbehaved with us were not from the affected area. We informed the S.P. that we would like to visit the affected area to find the facts prevailing there. The S.P. assured us that no body would prevent us while going to the area as local police would be directed accordingly. On 7th December, we again moved to the affected area. We found the police barricading in two places, but they did not stop us. We found that there were no nuisance mongers at the police picket as we found day before yesterday. Although we moved through the same road and Trilochanpur village.
Then we experienced that there was complete nexus between police and touts, goons of the company. We also found in the way that there was no villagers who came in our way to stop us to move forward.
Thus we first went to Dhinkia where people turned up to us in big numbers. Most of them were from Dhinkia and others were from remaining affected villages. Villagers strongly opposed any encroachment on their land by the POSCO Company or by the State Govt. as they have got no right to snatch our land, which is their basic source of livelihood. They spelt out that they would not part with even a smallest piece of their land, which is just like their mother. They also stated further that police were always out to harass the villagers through the goons, touts and anti social elements hired by the company. Even the daily wage earners are not being all allowed freely to go out from the villages to have wages earned. Thus such laborers put under the situation of starvation for no fault of theirs.
Nevertheless, people of the area are maintaining peace fortitude and patient to the maximum extent, but water seems to be flowing even at their nose level. Surprisingly enough police pickets have been put in operation in three places in the proposed site i.e. Nuagoan, Gobindpur and Gadkunjang, which clearly indicates the intention of the police to force the people for remaining under fear of terror etc. The state has cordoned virtually the Dhinkia village by setting police camps on the way leading to Dhinkia; so that they maybe compelled to give their land to the company. Even in the presence of the police rowdy and anti social elements attacked the houses of those villages that don't want to part with their land to the POSCO Company. They injured the villagers who were admitted to the hospital.
In the Dhinkia we also met Abhya Sahoo, the leader of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti and renowned leader of Communist Party of India. He also explained the situation prevailed. Atrocities by the anti-social elements being meted out to the villagers with the help of the police which has become a regular and day to day phenomenon there. There happened a very shocking incident. There were some Sarvodayees related to Rashtriya Yuba Sangathan, Naba Nirman Samiti and Yuva Bharat. They were not spared who were resorting to Satyagraha for saving the land of villagers of the affected area to be acquired by the POSCO Company. Some hired Goondas and anti-social elements had beaten them brutally and thrashed the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi by heals of their shoes. There after Satyagrahi's were driven out of the village. When the team met the Satyagrahi at the office of DM Jagatsinghpur they narrated their owes and the whole incident. They are still staging Satyagraha at DM office, Jagatsinghpur.
During our visit we found the land to be acquired is highly fertile and high crop-yielding. According to a decision of the Supreme Court of India, cultivable agriculture land cannot be acquired for private companies.
In addition to paddy crop, villagers sow and grow ground nuts and 'moong, a pluse' there, which are cash crops. In a very large area of the proposed site Cashew nuts and betel wines are the main source of income of the villagers which according to the Govt. version is a 'forest land' that covers 3500 acre out of 4004 acre of the total land to be acquired by the Company. In the recent year 2007, an act namely Scheduled Tribes and other Forest Dwellers (recognition of Rights) Act, making the same effective from 2005 is passed in the Parliament of India. According to the provision of this Act, the holders of the forestland have automatically become bonafide and genuine owners of the land. Although, the same is under their ownership from the several generations in general. At the present situation Govt. has no right to displace the dwellers and dispose off the same to any private company or the other agencies.
Taking in view entire situation prevailing in the area and connivance between the POSCO company, the police and hired anti-social goonda's and goons and taking the same in serious consideration, we have come on the conclusion that almost the same situation and conditions are being created purposely similar to the situation to place recently where serious atrocities and genocide by the goons sponsored by the ruling party of West Bengal, the CPM with the help of the police in the Nandigram. We are afraid if the situation here is not tackled and controlled prudently before the same goes out of control, it would be most unfortunate as we apprehend that the innocent and peace loving farmers of the Gadkunjang, Dhinkia and Nuagaon Gram panchayat maybe further more tortured and crushed. It may become another Nandigram.
We demand that:
1. All the police pickets, put around the three gram panchayat be withdrawn forthwith.
2. All the hired goons and anti-social elements operating in the villages be arrested and put behind the bars.
3. All the residents of affected villages be allowed to go outside freely to have their earning and other purposes as usual.
4. The basic and fundamental rights of the villagers should not be infringed in any way.
5. No part of the land of the affected villages be acquired either by POSCO Company or State Govt.
6. Judicial enquiry should be constituted to prove and investigate the entire happening in the area.
7. Rights of owners of the erstwhile forest land be recorded in their name immediately and these lands should not be considered Govt. land at the henceforth.
Our organization stands for the development of the people with equity, not of the big moneybags whether they are indigenous or foreigner.
Signatories
1. Dr. B.D. Sharma, Former Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Govt. of India
2. K.N. Pandit, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan
3. Chakradhar Haibru Junior, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Manch, Sukinda, Kalinganagar
4. B.P. Rakshit, People's Democratic Front of India
5. Ajay, Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan
