Battle won, war rages on

From Lanjigarh to London, the Dongaria Kondh tribals of Niyamgiri hills in Orissa’s backward Kalahandi district had fought a long and determined battle against Vedanta Resources, the multinational company which wanted to uproot their homes in the ecologically sensitive hills rich in bauxite reserves, and bring out the precious metal for its alumina refinery in nearby Lanjigarh.

No wonder, when the Union forest and environment ministry recently disallowed the Orissa government and the London-based private sector metal giant to mine in the hills, there were celebrations galore in the local tribal villages.

Despite the significant victory, which has become the talk of the entire nation and abroad, many of these Dongarias believe that they have won the battle and not the war. They will win the war only when they are able to throw the Vedanta’s alumina refinery - which has already gone into production since last two years bringing in bauxite from mines in neighbouring Jharkhand - not only out of Lanjigarh but also from the soil of Kalahandi district.

“We feel very happy that we have been able to save our Niyamgiri hills worshipped by us as God. We will be fully satisfied only when Vedanta’s refinery is shut down forever. The threat to Niyamgiri will be there as long as the refinery in Lanjigarh continues to function. Our fight will go on till the refinery is declared closed permanently,” said Kumuti Majhi, president of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti which has been in the forefront of the anti-Vedanta movement in Kalahandi.

The same sentiment was echoed by Kishan Majhi, a resident of Lamba village on the Niyamgiri slopes, who comes to block headquarters town Lanjigarh everyday to sell the firewood he collects from the forests in Niyamgiri. “We depend on the forest products to earn a living. We would have lost our livelihood had Vedanta been allowed mining in the Niyamgiri hills. The company’s refinery in Lanjigarh should also be closed down permanently as it has already started polluting the air and water”, Majhi said.

It may not be easy for these tribals to drive the one million tonne refinery – Vedanta was planning to increase the capacity to 6 million tonnes a year when it got the stick from the union forest and environment ministry – out of their land. One of the reasons is a revolt within their ranks as well as formation of another organisation which has started supporting the refinery vehemently, besides criticising the forest and environment ministry for disallowing bauxite mining in Niyamgiri.

This organisation – Lanjigarh Anchalika Vikash Parishad – had observed a 48-hour bandh in the block headquarters town on the eve of the recent visit of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to share with the Dongarias their victory. The members of the Parishad protested accusing the Centre and the Congress of obstructing development of not only Kalahandi but also entire KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) region considered to be the poorest zone in the country.

“Neither the Congress nor the central government seem to be interested in the development of Kalahandi. They perhaps want the people of this backward district to  remain poor,” said Parishad president Sridhar Pesnia.

What has become more embarrassing for the anti-Vedanta tribals and organisations like Green Kalahandi supporting them is the open revolt of some of the Dongarias who have changed sides and begun supporting the alumina refinery as well as bauxite mining in Niyamgiri.

A case in point is Jitu Jakesika. The 22-year-old Dongaria Kondh youth was in the forefront of the anti-Vedanta movement for long. Being one of the very few educated Dongarias, he was seen explaining to Rahul Gandhi about their problems when the Congress general secretary visited Niyamgiri for the first time in 2008. Jakesika had quit undergraduate studies to fight against Vedanta.

The tribal youth has now turned into one of the strongest supporters of Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery as well as the banned mining project. “The refinery and the mining project are required for the development of poor tribals. I was misled and misguided by NGO activists and politicians who do not want our development”, says the Dongaria youth, who now plans to visit New Delhi and meet Rahul Gandhi to apprise him how he (Rahul), like him, has been misled by “vested interests”.

The anti-Vedanta tribals and friendly organisations charge the likes of Jakesika of selling themselves out to Vedanta and the state government and turning their “agents”. Whatever that may be, the recent developments have brought to the fore the cracks in the tribal unity so far as Vedanta is concerned.

Despite these recent setbacks, the Dongarias are determined to continue their fight and hopeful of ensuring closure of the Lanjigarh refinery with the backing of the union forest and environment ministry which has served notices to Vedanta for illegally grabbing forest land for the refinery and expanding the refinery violating the forest and environment laws.

Company to fight back?

Vedanta, however, denied the charges. “We have done nothing illegal. We will prove our innocence at the appropriate forum,” said a senior Vedanta official, indicating that the private sector metal major may not hesitate to move the court of law.

The official who did not wish to be quoted claimed, “The land which was allegedly grabbed by us had actually been handed over to the company with all the required permissions for tree plantation.” He, however, could not specify the quantum of land in which trees had been planted by the company or provide documentary proof for the so-called permissions.

The official also rejected the allegation that Vedanta had “bought over” the tribals or the local organisations to silence opposition to the alumina refinery and mining project in Niyamgiri. “The local tribals have now started realising the benefit of industrialisation in the area which will ensure jobs for them”, said the official.

He also ridiculed the demand that the Lanjigarh refinery should either be shut down permanently or be shifted to another location outside Kalahandi. “Is it possible to close a legally set up refinery for which crores of rupees have been pumped in? The union forest and environment ministry has charged us of grabbing forest land for our expansion programme. But the ministry has never said that the entire refinery has been set up on the illegally grabbed forest land,” contended the officer.

Govt backs company

The BJD government in Orissa also maintained that no illegal means had been adopted either for the Lanjigarh refinery or for the Niyamgiri mining project. “The mining project was being implemented as per the conditions laid down by Supreme Court,” says Industries minister Raghunath Mohanty.

The apex court’s terms and conditions included creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the development of the tribal belt. Vedanta was to contribute funds to the SPV every year. If government sources are to be believed, the company had a;ready contributed to the SPV fund.

The allegations and counter allegations against Vedanta’s  refinery and mining projects have led many to strongly believe that there is an urgent need for fresh intervention by the Supreme Court.

“The apex court must step in and appoint a truly independent expert committee to investigate and punish those responsible for this mess. Vedanta and Orissa government should be punished if they have violated the laws. Action should be initiated against the union forest and environment ministry also if they are found guilty of misleading the nation and obstructing development,” said Anirudh Biswal, a resident of Bhawanipatna, the district headquarters town of Kalahandi, who has been witness to this battle.
Some state Congress leaders have also softened their stand against Vedanta and want the Lanjigarh refinery to function.

“The Congress is not against industrialisation. Vedanta refinery is not going anywhere.  But there should not be any mining activity in Niyamgiri either,” said Pradeep Majhi, the state youth Congress president and Lok Sabha member from Nowrangpur, a tribal constituency in south Orissa.

Congress’ nemesis

What could further embarrass the Congress in the coming days is the fact that when the state run Orissa Mining Corporation had first signed a Memorandum of Understanding  in 1997 with Sterlite, an arm of the Vedanta group, to mine bauxite in Niyamgiri hills, a Congress government was in office in Orissa. The MOU was renewed after Naveen Patnaik government came to power in the state in 2000.

The Orissa government has already started preliminary works to provide bauxite mines to Vedanta at an alternative site.

It may not be that easy  to identify alternative bauxite sources as it may encounter similar opposition there.  The people residing in the villages in and around Gandhamardhan hills in undivided western Orissa district of Sambalpur, which has a bauxite reserve, have already warned the government of a massive agitation if it starts mining activities in the hills.