National meet of adivasis from October 9
Community rights organisation Sangama, along with support groups, will conduct a national-level convention of Adivasis, forest dwellers, fishermen, dalits, farm workers, women and children, at Kushalnagar in Kodagu district from October 9 to 12.
The convention will discuss the current policies of the government, which the organisers say, rob the natural resources and sell them to corporate companies, violating fundamental human rights.
The Coastal Management Zone Notification has been withdrawn due to various struggles of the fishermen. The support group claims that the latest move is to capture the lands of the fishing community using new jargon. Attempts are being made to dilute the Forest Rights Act and the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification to the benefit of the multinationals and the corporate world.
The two-day convention is expected to discuss topics of Forest Rights Act and its implementation; Coastal Regulation Zone Notification and its implementation; Environment Impact Assessment; Special Economic Zones and Special Tourism Areas; Tourism; National Parks and Sanctuaries; Conservation of Values, Culture and Spirituality of Adivasis, Fisherfolk and Traditional Communities; Mining and Community Rights; Large Dams; Nuclear Power Plants; Militarisation and Community Rights; Water and Community Rights; Other Major Development Rights; Community Rights and Communalism; Community Knowledge; Free Trade Agreements and Communities; Climate Change and Communities.
Speakers at the convention include Dayamani Barla (prominent adivasi journalist from Jharkhand), Dr B D Sharma (Bharat Jan Andolan), Leo Saldanha (Environment Support Group), Sreedhar Ramamurthi (Environics Trust/Mines, Minerals and People), Matanhy Saldanha (National Fishworkers’ Forum), Sumesh Mangalacheri (Kabani), Abhay Sahu/Prashant Paikray (Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti), Magline Peter/Peter Thayil (KSMTF), JP Raju (National Adivasi Alliance), Dr Siddalingaiah (Dalit poet), Prafulla Samantrai (Lokashakti Abhiyan), Gautam Bandopadhyay (Nadi Ghati Morcha), Pradeep Prabhu (Alliance for Tribal Self-Rule), Guman Singh, Roma (National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers), Sandeep Pandey (Magsasay award winner, Asha Ashram), Akhil Gogoi (RTI activist, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti), Munnilal (Convenor, NFFPW) and Sannibai.
