Children - Terre des Hommes

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106 The top five most mined districts are Korba, Koriya, Surguja, Raigarh and Durg. 191 With simplified mining laws and quick processing of lease applications being given high priority, Chhattisgarh’s mining policy is quite conducive to private and foreign investment. This has, unfortunately, triggered a violent reaction from the Maoists who have resisted the state’s attempts to acquire and exploit people’s land to serve the multinationals. 192 The state also regularly loses millions of rupees to illegal mining; nearly 1,500 illegal mining cases were detected in Chhattisgarh in 2001 alone. Of these, 587 cases were of illegal mining and 834 of illegal transportation of minerals. 193 For this newborn state, mining undoubtedly has enormous economic benefits. But in its overdrive to tap into the huge resources that mining offers, the state government is ignoring the disastrous impacts mining has on the environment and people. Chhattisgarh is facing environmental challenges such as destruction of forests (as per the state’s official website, 44 per cent of the state’s land is under forests, of which 90,000 ha is now under mining of major minerals) and pollution of rivers, which is the main source of irrigation for the inhabitants of those lands, as well as detrimental impacts on land productivity. Some reports have pointed out that illnesses related to breathing and respiration, falling levels of immunity, weakness and ill-health are all outcomes of pollution. In some cases, people have been forced to migrate due the adverse impact of pollution on their health. 194 The Mining Curse On the Children of Chhatisgarh Sunil (name changed) who refused to be photographed is from the village Mudagaon, in Tamnar block. He suffers from skeletal disorder and weakened bones due to the high fluorosis in the drinking water. He is about 18 years of age but he has had a withered body and dysfunctional limbs since the age of 9 years. He cannot walk or sit up straight. He is completely dependent on his family for all his needs. The villagers reported that there are several children like Sunil who start showing skeletal and dental flourosis from a very early age and by the time they reach their twenties most of them become completely disabled. Education reports from the Block Resource Coordinator (BRC) show that over 120 children are physically and mentally handicapped for various reasons, in Tamnar block. Source: Interview conducted in Mudagaon village, Raigarh, November 2009 “My name is Rakesh (name changed). I am about 17 years old. I dropped out from school 5 years ago. At present I am doing some part-time work in the mines and the rest of the time I take care of my family’s cattle. We have been compensated by Raipur Alloys which took our land for the coal mines. They paid us Rs 130,000 per acre but most of the compensation money has been spent. The company promised to resettle us, but we are still waiting for rehabilitation. As a manual worker in the mines, I earn Rs. 80–100 per day”. Source: Interview carried out near open-cast coal mines of Raipur Alloys, near Kosampali village, Raigarh, November 2009 Raigarh district: Key facts Total population: 1,265,529 (Census 2001) Population (0–14 years): 140,095 (Census 2001) Literacy rate: Total 70.16 per cent Male 82.7 per cent Female 57.62 per cent (Census 2001) Percentage of out-of-school children (6–14 years): 3.2 per cent (ASER 2008) Percentage of children enrolled in AWC or pre-school (3–4 years): 77.7 per cent (ASER 2008) Number of child labour: 364,572 (Census 2001) Under five mortality rate (ranking): 443 out of 593 districts surveyed (Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh) 191 Analysis by Centre for Science and Environment, Rich Lands, Poor People, 2008, Pp. 122. 192 Srivastava, Devyani, Mining War in Chhattisgarh, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, May 23, 2008. G:\Mining - PT\Chhattisgarh\Research\Mining War in Chhattisgarh.htm, accessed on January 4, 2010. 193 Analysis by Centre for Science and Environment, Rich Lands, Poor People, 2008, Pp. 123. 194 Chhattisgarh Human Development Report 2005, Prepared for the Government of Chhattisgarh. Pp 31.
107 The case study was done in Raigarh district of Chattisgarh, which has extensive mineral deposits of coal, dolomite, iron ore and limestone. The case study was mainly undertaken in the area where the power projects are located which have been creating displacement as well as pollution related problems to the people. District Profile of Raigarh Raigarh district in Chhatisgarh is a major producer of steel, with Jindal Steel and Power being the biggest producer. Raigarh consumes about 20,000 tonnes of coal per day. Chattisgarh and Jharkhand states together have almost all the coal deposits in India, which has led to their ‘power hub’ strategy. Raigarh district has an area of 6,836 sq km of which 585.63 sq km is forest area. Gharghoda sub-district where the current case study was conducted has a population of 148,903 of which 83,657 are adivasis. 195 The major tribes in this area are Birhor, Hill-Korwah, Kolpa, Rathiya Kamar, Gorh, Kanwar, Uraon and Dhanuhar. The tribes in Raigarh are mainly dependent on agriculture and forest produce, mahua being the principal produce. The case study was conducted in Tamnar block of Gharghoda sub-district and is one of the most industrialised areas in Raigarh as mining giants such as Jindal, Raipur Alloys and Monnet Ispat have their plants here. Raigarh has seven sub-districts, and the research covered the villages of Milupara, Khamariya, Gare, Korked, Kosampali, Sarasmal and Mudagaon in Tamnar block. In this block there are three coal and power plants, which are Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Raipur Alloys and Steel Limited, and Monnet Ispat. Monnet Ispat has underground coal mining that extends over 40 acres of land. Jindal Steel and Power Limited as well as Raipur Alloys and Steel Limited, have open-cast coal mining in Tamnar block. The Backdrop of the Study: The Mining Agitation in Raigarh At the time of this study (16 November 2009), a major agitation was taking place against the proposed Jindal Power Plant in Gare village. On 5 January 2008, a public hearing was held amidst strong people’s protests as the affected communities were opposed to the project and they had no prior project related information. Inspite of this, the district authorities conducted the public hearing by bringing in people Coal filled agricultural land in Tamnar block (Photo November 2009) from elsewhere and engineering the proceedings. Police were brought in and people were lathi-charged (beaten) where seven persons were grievously injured and about 200 were partially injured. False cases were booked on the leaders who mobilised the protest; such is the abuse of the Jindals in Chattisgarh and interviews with the community leaders revealed the anger of the people for the manner in which democracy was being suppressed by the mining companies. There were several flaws and misinformation that was being passed on to the public regarding the proposed project. For instance, according to Mr. Ram Kumar Agrawal, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Raigarh, five villages—Lamdarah, Saraitola, Gare, Khamariya and Karwahi—will be the most affected but the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report only shows five households as likely to be displaced. The core zone, which is the area leased for mining, and the buffer zone, which includes the area around the core extending up to 10 km, has 93.64 ha of forest land, which will be destroyed completely. In the buffer zone, around 30 per cent is forest land, which will be indirectly affected. Also, it is believed that the EIA report does not study the cumulative impact of the various industries present in the region. According to the protestors, they were agitating because there are already, several projects operating in the area like the Jindal’s 1,000 mw power plant, and a number of coal mines that have destroyed the land, livelihood and quality of air, forest, the groundwater and rivers in this region. The EIA for the proposed project estimates that 13,945 cu m of groundwater, equivalent to 20 per cent of the requirement of Raigarh’s population, will be pumped out each day. However, it underplays this impact on the regional water balance and the affect on agriculture and forest. 195 raigarh.nic.in/
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India’s Childhood in the "Pits" A
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iii Acknowledgements This report, c
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Table of Contents About the Study 3
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4 List of states and districts visi
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6 However, closer observation of th
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8 In addition, almost all work perf
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10 Impacts Children are affected di
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12 is mandatory and this must be
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15 National Overview Mining has imp
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17 Table 1.2: Number of illegal min
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19 Table 1.3: Key indicators in min
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21 migrate to plain areas or are co
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23 had no land to start with and wo
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25 Although there is no data to sho
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27 2,055 children enrolled in Santu
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29 we will eat tomorrow,” said a
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31 GURIA is a dark-eyed little girl
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33 Serious health problems have alr
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35 In several districts of Rajastha
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37 Table 1.4: Total number of child
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39 Bearing in mind that many of the
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41 children are working in mines in
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43 significant problem. A study car
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45 Part II State Reports 1. Karnata
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48 basic healthcare to its populati
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50 Kolar district: Key facts Total
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52 and pursued higher education. Th
Page 56 and 57: 54 has created a peculiar aesthetic
Page 58 and 59: 56 number of children working in th
Page 60 and 61: 58 almost every child is absent for
Page 62 and 63: 60 Table 2.02: Survey on children n
Page 64 and 65: 62 the village were cough, eye infe
Page 66 and 67: 65 Maharashtra State Overview Mahar
Page 68 and 69: 67 154 are in Maharashtra (making i
Page 70 and 71: 69 poverty, (ii) education, (iii) h
Page 72 and 73: 71 Quarry is a very big area spread
Page 74 and 75: 73 family works as a unit and manag
Page 76 and 77: 75 Table 2.06: Class-wise distribut
Page 78 and 79: 77 Children in stone quarries hit b
Page 80 and 81: 80 Literacy levels are also poor in
Page 82 and 83: 82 and quarrying in the state. Of t
Page 84 and 85: 84 Follow up interviews were carrie
Page 86 and 87: 86 At Thumbli village, residents ex
Page 88 and 89: 88 usually not strong enough to car
Page 90 and 91: 90 Inadequate Health Facilities Sev
Page 92 and 93: 92 Many of the Workers in the Mines
Page 94 and 95: 94 that 296,979 children aged betwe
Page 96 and 97: 96 This case study covered two mine
Page 98 and 99: 98 Traditional Forest Dwellers (Rec
Page 100 and 101: 100 in the mine sites ekeing out a
Page 102 and 103: 102 Conclusions Panna, once a rich
Page 104 and 105: 104 Commission, Government of India
Page 108 and 109: 108 There are several other content
Page 110 and 111: 110 Table 2.11: Enrolment of childr
Page 112 and 113: 112 companies for their power plant
Page 114 and 115: 115 Jharkhand State Overview The st
Page 116 and 117: 117 population who live in these fo
Page 118 and 119: 119 around coal, but to also provid
Page 120 and 121: 121 Status of Anganwadi Centres and
Page 122 and 123: 123 due to multiple government duti
Page 124 and 125: 125 Uranium Corporation of India Li
Page 126 and 127: 128 farming and forestry. It is the
Page 128 and 129: 130 attendance at birth, the high p
Page 130 and 131: 132 were displaced for mining proje
Page 132 and 133: 134 the impacts are visibly evident
Page 134 and 135: 136 for construction and other indu
Page 136 and 137: 138 Table 2.17: School enrolment da
Page 138 and 139: 140 village also complained of cont
Page 140 and 141: 142 about the status of children in
Page 142 and 143: 144 exposed to the toxicity from th
Page 144 and 145: 146 for labour elsewhere. The prese
Page 146 and 147: 148 State Excesses and Human Rights
Page 148 and 149: 150 Table 2.25: Information collect
Page 150 and 151: 152 The DP Camp is far away from th
Page 152 and 153: 154 Naik and Mr. Prahlad Naid who a
Page 154 and 155: 156 Social Cost of Displacement As
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158 Table 2.32: Comparative village
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160 Rajabandha also has a low cost
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162 on land to be acquired in some
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165 Andhra Pradesh State Overview T
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167 Mining in Andhra Pradesh Almost
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169 small areas where there are qua
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171 other families also working in
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173 Nature of Quarry Work Tradition
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175 Conclusions The three micro-lev
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Part III Summary and Recommendation
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180 Whose Child is India’s Mining
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182 attention on child labour issue
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184 are not working in the mines.
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186 proposed to be the basis of th
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188 explored, clear design and work
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OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE RIGHT TO IN
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193 Andhra Pradesh areas. Appr
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195 Tamil Nadu Orissa informati
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197 compensation for land and R
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Annexures
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200 Karnataka The tables below give
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202 Drop-out children brought back
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205 Glossary Adivasi: The term used
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207 and educational development. Pa
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Children - Terre des Hommes

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