mining update, august-september 09

1 MINING AND INDUSTRIALISATION UPDATE, ORISSA ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION ON INDUSTRIES AND MINING IN ORISSA August-Sept - 2009 LIST OF CONTENTS Editorial 1 Cartoon Space 2-3 News 4- 20 Public Hearings Notices 21 Environmental Clearance 22 Forest Clearance 23 About EPG 24 E D I T O R I A L The mammoth Mining Scam of 4, 500 Crore that has surfaced recently is like the opening of a Pandora’s Box. It is the reason why the people of Orissa are poorest in a state which is bestowed with huge natural resources. The state govt. has failed to accept the challenge by not taking quick and strong actions to nab the real big heads involved in the scam, but has also adopted a delaying tactics by ordering a departmental inquiry to be conducted by the Secretary of Ministry of Mines, who has also failed to know what is happening just below his nose. Suspending few officials is nothing but a very tactful drama simply enacted to fool the people. They know very well that after few months people will forget the issue. Again these suspended officials will get back to their place. Their dirty game will restart again. It is not that the top officials did not know any thing as to what is going on at Keonjhar in the name of mining. Besides Mining department, Forest department is also partner to this crime. Who can believe them that thirty six hectares of forest land is used for illegal mining where large scale activities of men, machinery, materials and transportation is going on round the clock. But when a poor tribal take a bamboo to weave baskets, he is booked within no time. This is what we see in many tribal areas more particularly in Orissa. All the players in mining business make huge money. But when it comes to pay a small fraction of it as the royalty to the state, those mining companies play gimmicks to deprive the state of its legitimate share. They have huge money that runs in several crores in contesting elections, to offer diamond studded gold crown to lord Balaji at Tirupati that had made national news but when it comes to pay even 10% of the market price as royalty, they shed crocodile tears. These crocodiles do not speak a word on tribals this time despite they know that the tribals whom they have pushed out of their lands are suffering uncertain future. Their peaceful abode that was lush green is now wearing a look of environmentally degraded area, roads totally broken with pits of all the sizes, no safe drinking water, elephant menace etc. But no body speaks a word about them. We also need to look at the speed with which state is anxious to ink one MoU after another that has a captive mining tag. In the name of development, in the name of providing jobs, all that mineral wealth is allowed to be looted to those faces who have nothing to do with the state or its people but to make money at a jet speed. . When people in power join hands with mineral mafias, operating legally or illegally, such scam are bound to happen as has been surfac ed recentl y. In this time of mega crisis we people have an important role to play for the sake of our state. This is also the test for the Media that they are also pro active and not the puppets in the hands of any one to hide the facts from coming out. It is now up to the people of the state to see how they take to the streets to unveil the real face of this so called clean state government. Editor

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