Children - Terre des Hommes

148
State Excesses and Human Rights
Violations
Struggle of people from Kasipur
(Photo Samata )
More than 60 false criminal cases have been filed on the local
leaders of the movement so far. People, however, organised
rallies, public meetings and strikes to prevent the project from
being implemented. On 16 December 2000, police entered
the area and opened fire indiscriminately at the people and
three adivasis were killed with many seriously injured. Since
then, the situation in Kasipur is tense, with clashes between
adivasis who are opposing the project and those outside, who
are instigated by corporate agents. The interference of police
and sporadic clashes that occur every time increase pressure
and harassment on people, and have threatened the security
and peace in the area. It was with great difficulty that the case
study was conducted as the study team, faced antagonism,
suspicion and intimidation from the community who have had
to deal with constant political and corporate manipulations.
Table 2.24 gives some demographic details of the project area
in Kasipur.
According to the official statistics, the project will displace 148
households of three villages namely Dom Koral, Kendukhunti
and Ramibeda. Table 2.25 gives some information on
dispalcemet in Kasipur villages visited. In 2007, two villages,
Ramibeda and Kendukhunti were relocated to the DP camp
at Nuapada. A total of 147 families shifted to this colony from
the two villages, while the resettlement colony for Dom Koral
is still under construction. At the new DP camp, the company
provided housing, electricity, drinking water and a school
with a local teacher. The rehabilitation and resettlement plan
according to UAIL’s promises consists of a house, a tank for
bathing, community centre, a pond for bathing and washing,
school, playground for the children with other essential
facilities to the displaced people. It was also stated that
rehabilitation and resettlement would be based on land for
land compensation. Further, each displaced family was to be
given 10 cents of land with a house of 300 sq feet. 273
However, no such rehabilitation took place so far, although
the families have been displaced. The villagers complain that
the compensation given to the displaced is worse than what
was provided in Damanjodi by NALCO. As expressed by the
affected families, 80–90 per cent of those who lost land are
yet to receive compensation. In the initial stage, UAIL gave
Rs.21,300 per acre and in the second phase it decided to give
Rs. 1 lakh per acre as compensation. Further, the company
declared to increase the compensation prices to 1 lakh more
per acre. However, this was not implemented as promised.
Promises of jobs were made by the company, but only irregular
daily wage labour is currently available and the people see no
scope of employment in the future either as they have come to
know that the mining will be highly mechanised.
The affected area is the source of around 130 streams
which feed the three major rivers that flow from here-—he
Nagavali, Indravati and Vamsadhara. Most of the land lost
for the project is wetland with atleast two crops of paddy and
multiple cereals and pulses grown in these lands. 274
Situation of Children in the
Displacement Camp and Villages
Affected
The community leaders, PSSP leaders and anganwadi
workers of the area were interviewed to get a picture of the
status of education of the children in this area. It was told
by the above that almost 50 per cent of the children are out
of school and involved in either agriculture or mining related
labour. The information from discussions with the above
groups is distinctly varying from the information available
under the government DISE report cards, with regard to
school enrolment and drop-out rates. We present below both
the sources of information, but unless an indepth household
273. Das. V 2001 Mining Bauxite, Maiming People, Economic and political weekly July 2001, pp- 2612-2613, interview carried out in Maikanch on 24th June
2009
274. Statement of Bhagvan Majhi, Convenor, PSSP