vedanta no, sterlite yes

vedanta no, sterlite yes
The apex court allows bauxite mining with conditions

“Sustainable development cannot deny the future generations its dues.” A special bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, said this while declining mining nod to Vedanta Alumina in Orissa. The court also showed concern about the possible degradation of environment. Global mining and metals major Vedanta had asked for permission to start bauxite mining in the forest area of Niyamgiri hills region of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts of the state for its Rs 4,000 crore alumina refinery at Lanjigarh. The apex court was hearing the case after local environment groups like Green Kalahandi and Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti and Orissa Wildlife Society challenged the plan, arguing it would displace tribal people and destroy flora and fauna of the region.“We are not inclined to approve of the project in its present form,” opined the bench, which comprises Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice S.H. Kapadia. It cited Vedanta’s antecedents, of having been blacklisted by Norway for violation of labour laws there, as one of the key reasons for denying permission for mining. But the court left a door open for its associate Sterlite Industries to extract the mineral in collaboration with state agencies. The bench gave liberty to Sterlite Industries India Ltd, the flagship company of Vedanta Resources, to move the court within eight weeks if it was ready to go ahead with the project subject to compliance with certain modalities. The Orissa government in collaboration with Orissa Mining Corporation and Sterlite will have to set up a special purpose vehicle to develop the scheduled area.‘’We are happy that the Supreme Court has appreciated the concerns raised by us after a long drawn battle. Now the endangered wildlife and Dongoria Kandhas (tribals) can heave a sigh of relief,” said environmental activists expressing happiness over the apex court’s decision. Bhakta Charan Das of Green Kalahandi movement opined, "This is a victory of the environment, mankind and of the people of Kalahandi." Reacting to this Vice-President of Vedanta Alumina, A.K. Samal, while talking to TSI said, "We do not see the Supreme Court’s judgment as a setback as Sterlite is a Vedanta company. We are awaiting a copy of the judgment then we shall take steps immediately as per the court's direction." Environmental activists should not be excited with this development as the battle for a mining free Niyamgiri does not end here. ‘Vedanta Hatao’ slogans may soon be replaced by ‘Sterlite Hatao’.

-Dhrutikam Mohanty

Garden of god

ORISSA : NANDANKANAN

Garden of god

Animal deaths in Zoological Park alarmingly frequent

If you are planning to visit Nandankanan, one of the finest zoos of its kind in the country, then beware of the snatchers. Jumping from tree to tree, eyeing the food packets people carry, the cageless monkeys of Nandan Kanan take just the blink of an eye to make anything in your hand disappear. These street monkeys, who don't have the privilege of being treated by doctors or being looked after by caretakers, are perhaps the only animals in the zoo that are in good health. Nandankanan, home to 384 animals and birds (figures by Orissa government in State legislature), has been in the news for the continuous deaths of its inhabitants. On October 31, an eight-year old tigress, Jyoti, died suddenly. It was later found that she was infected with a viral disease, ‘Feline palrilevk opni’. This is only a few days after a deer belonging to a rare species succumbed to cancer, on October 22. In the last six months of 2006, around 27 animals and birds died in Nandankanan. In 2007, 20-30 deaths have been reported. This has now become a matter of concern for animal lovers and activists in the state. Ghasiram Panda, an activist, reacts, ‘Here, animals are used only to make money. Nandankanan authorities don't provide proper treatment and suitable enquiry is not made to determine the causes of the deaths.’ Deputy Director of Nandankanan Directorate, A.C. Dinakar refused to comment. Nandankanan, a Zoological park amidst natural forests along the banks of Kanjia Lake, is situated near the capital city of Bhubaneswar. It is a major attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists, with upto 5000 visitors each day. But with frequent deaths of the animals, having empty cages or only one or two animals per cage is becoming the norm here. Dr. P.K. Ray, a physician in Nandankanan clarifies, ‘Negligence on our part cannot be the only reason. Though the zoo lacks sufficient manpower, we are running vaccination programmes to prevent infectious disease among animals.’ Nandankanan, which literally means the garden of God, will soon turn into a graveyard of animals if the death rate is not kept in check.

Dhrutikam Mohanty

Orissa: Alternative Medicines

'Seka Chikitsa' or Foment therapy

Orissa have an indigenous system of therapy to heal bone fractures and other related problems. This is popularly called 'Seka Chikitsa' or Foment therapy. A place named Kalupada, sixty kilometers from the state capital Bhubaneswar is the seat of origin of this century old healing system. This place is the last hope of persons who have suffered multiple fractures and suggested amputation as the last resort by the registered orthopedics.

Sabyasachi Dutta, director of a reputed educational institution in Bhubaneswar reveals, 'last year in a road accident I had five fractures only in my foot and all five fingers had dislocated. As I had been admitted in a well known hospital of the state, a senior orthopedics advised me to operate out the broken fingers and that’s the only way out. But I was not in favour of such surgery, then I contacted a traditional bone healer of Kalupada Mr. Padman Das and he assured me to set my fingers in six months. Within three months of treatment he had done it. Today I can call it a magic or miracle.'

Everyday Padman Das treats around twenty-five to thirty patients. He does not have any operation theatre nor does he have groups of specialists. Little bamboo sticks, bandages and black herbal liquid solutions are few things that he treats patients with. Padman calls his method of treatment as branch of naturopathy. In foment therapy first of all, the healer sets the broken bones at the right place by gentle patting, never apply force. Then he puts the black herbal solution, which is a mixture of ten types of herbs, on a five-meter long bandage. Further he wraps the bandage around the broken limb. Though every fourth-day the bandage needs to be changed, it depends on the seriousness of the damage as to how many times that needs to be changed. Herbal solution while helps in joining the bones, sometimes it weakens them. They need to be given hot fomentation, which is an extremely specialized method. First of all caster oil is applied on the affected areas. Then a thick oil-soaked cloth is wrapped around, followed by covering it with herbal solution. Then iron rods are heated to the maximum and gently rolled over the oiled-clothes. The exercise goes on for 20-25 minutes. The hot fomentation not only helps in healthier bones, it can cure problems like sodalities as well.

-Dhrutikam Mohanty.

STAINS KILLING

TSI
FratricideDespite India's tryst with non-violence and pacifism, there remains a violent downside. Mass killings, communal carnages and caste killings have dominated its political and social landscape. TSI looks at the kaleidoscope of horror, from Assam to Gujarat.

STAINS OF A KILLING

The brutal muder of an Australian missionary in a remote village in Orissa was a national shameMore than eight years have elapsed since that dark winter night when Australian missionary Graham Stewart Staines and his two young sons were torched to death in a remote village in Orissa. The shocking news not only evoked worldwide condemnation but also flustered the existing governments, both at the centre and in the state, taking into account the sensitivity of the case—a foreigner, a minority, a missionary and social worker revered by the community, accusations of conversion and the questionable role of the Bajrang Dal in the crime.Staines, 58, who had made Baripada his home for more than three decades, was fluent in Oriya and Santhali (a tribal language) and had endeared himself to the local community in the district town of North Orissa and the neighbouring tribal villages. On that fateful night of January 22, 1999, Staines and his sons Philip (11) and Timothy (7) were in Manoharpur village in adjoining Keonjhar district attending an annual jungle camp, a gathering of Christians. It was while they were asleep in their jeep in front of the church that miscreants set the vehicle on fire and the three were charred to death. Initially, the Bajrang Dal was said to have masterminded the crime. However, a Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice D.P. Wadhwa of the Supreme Court ruled out the involvement of the Bajrang Dal, although the accused and his associates were known to be active supporters of the outfit.Dara Singh, the prime accused in the case was arrested a few months later. However, Staines’ wife had strongly denied the conversion charges saying, “My husband was never into conversions. All he did was to spread the message of the Lord”.Currently serving a life sentence in Baripada jail, Dara Singh was earlier awarded a death sentence by a trial court in Bhubaneswar in September 2003. This sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court in May 2005. The bench maintained that “there is absolutely no evidence on record that due to individual act of Dara Singh alone the three or any of them died”. Recently, the district court in Mayurbhanj has sentenced him to another life term for killing a Catholic priest, Father Arul Doss, in September 1999. Meanwhile, Graham’s widow, Gladys Staines, spends time between India and Australia where her daughter Esther is studying. While silently mourning the loss of her husband and two children, she has accepted their death as the will of God, and as for the killers, she maintains, “With God’s help I have been able to forgive them”. Dhrutikant mohanty

Vedanta Hatao!

ORISSA: ALUMINA REFINERYVedanta Hatao!V-Day for activists as Court vetoes mining

The legal battle between the champions of development and environment has taken a fretful turn as the Supreme Court asked the Centre to conduct a comprehensive study on the effects of large-scale mining activities on the ecology and lives of tribals in the Kalahandi-Koraput region of Orissa, also the area where UK based Vedanta is setting up an alumina refinery. A special bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan directed the Ministry of Environment and Forest to submit its report within four weeks of conducting the study.Vedanta’s Rs 4,000 crore alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district is already on a test run. To cater to this project, the company has entered into an agreement with Orissa Mining Corporation to exploit bauxite from mines allotted to it in the Niyamgiri hills, which are covered with dense forests and are home to the Dongaria Kandha tribe. A number of endangered species under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act can be found in Niyamgiri’s dense Sal forests. The Apex Court has been hearing the case ever since local groups and wildlife activists challenged the company’s mining plan, arguing that it would displace tribal people and destroy the area’s unique flora and fauna. Vedanta disagrees. “This is the poorest area in the country; people are forced to eat roots and leaves to survive. There are absolutely no opportunities for employment. The locals would welcome the project with open arms,” said Vedanta’s counsel, K.K. Venugopal.The court’s fresh refusal to grant mining rights in Niyamgiri has come as consolation for the activists of Green Kalahandi and Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti. These organisations had been spearheading a mass movement since 2004 to protect the forest, land and water of this area. Their slogan was: Vedanta Hatao. Green Kalahandi’s convener, and former Central Minister, Bhakta Charan Das, said, “The Central Empowered Committee, appointed by the Supreme Court earlier, already recommended against granting mining rights. Instead of appointing committees, the Supreme Court’s bench should sit here and see how the livelihood of lakhs of tribals is at stake.”

Dhrutikam Mohanty

ORISSA : STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS

ORISSA : STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS
Coalition under pressureThe honeymoon is over between BJD and BJP

‘Saath the, saath hain aur saath rahenge’ (We were, we are and we will be together)–was BJP President Rajnath Singh's swift, strategic and slogan-ic answer, when asked about the strained relationship between the BJP and their ruling partner in Orissa - the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). But what he projected at a recent press conference in Bhubaneswar is far from the reality. According to party sources, most leaders of BJP’s state unit are dissatisfied with the actions of their coalition partner. The major cause of growing rift between these parties is the fact that the BJD has been regularly encouraging BJP dissidents by giving them room in the party. The recent joining of Jaydev Parida, a dissident BJP leader from Nawrangapur district, and his supporters in the BJD, is a clear-cut indication of mutual dienchantment.The matter of a strained relationship between the parties came up when BJP national Vice-President Jual Oram openly criticised Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik for female foeticide and the manufacturing of spurious medicines in the state. Oram, in an open meeting, also demanded a CBI probe into certain aspects of an MoU signed between Orissa government and South Korean steel major Posco. This created a political hue and cry in the state. Not reacting publicly, Naveen Patnaik used the opportunity of his meeting with Rajnath Singh to blast Oram. To this, BJP in-charge in Orissa, Vinay Katiyar, clarified, "Oram felt sorry for what was an emotional outburst against the CM; he shouldn't have done that." This was just political patchwork to cool down the heat of intra-coalition collision for the time being. Sources close to the CM reveal that the BJD supremo is now concerned about his coalition partner as the BJP and its agenda is gradually losing its shine in the national political scenario. Senior BJD leaders feel there is an urgent need to review the alliance. The BJP leaders, on the other hand, blame the CM for violating coalition ethics by giving entry to BJP dissidents in his party. Despite that Oram believes: "The BJP-BJD relationship is now smooth and convenient. But I reserve the right to criticise a government policy."

Dhrutikam Mohanty