Children - Terre des Hommes

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Naik and Mr. Prahlad Naid who accompanied us to the
villages for all the data collection and interviews. We thank
the time given to us by Mr. Bhagvan Majhi, PSSP, and for
sharing his perspectives of the campaign against UAIL.)
Mining in Keonjhar
“My name is Mohit (name changed). My age is
around 16–17 years, I am not sure. I am from the
village of Salarapentha. After my family lost our
land for the mining company, my father became
sick with TB after working for some time in the
mining company, and he died. The company
initially promised all the affected that jobs will be
provided to all families, but so far no villager got
a job. I am the highest qualified person from my
village as I failed in matriculation. I work in the
mines as a daily wage worker and earn Rs. 60 per
day. Sometimes I earn Rs.1,800 per month when
there is full time work, but most often, work is
irregular. We do not have access to drinking water,
medical facilities or housing from the company. I
am married and I have a lot of tension to make
my family survive. So I take mahua sometimes to
beat the stress. My mother is also a victim of TB
and it is very difficult to handle the expenditure
on medical costs and also buy food. I was very
interested in going to college but I have to support
my family.”
Source: Interview carried out in Salarapentha, Keonjhor, February
2010
Rich agricultural land proposed for mining, Keonjhar
(Photo June 2009)
Keonjhar forms a part of northern central plateau with an area
of 8,240 sq km. The district is bounded by Singhbhum district
of Jharkhand in the north, Jajpur in the south, Dhenkanal and
Sundergarh in the west, and Mayurbhanj and Bhadrak in the
east. It lies between 21°1’N and 22°10’N latitude and 85°11’
E to 86°22’ E longitude.
Orissa contributes around one-third of the total iron ore
deposit of the country and around one-fourth of the total coal
deposits. 277 Keonjhar contributes nearly 75 per cent of rich iron
ore deposits present in the state. By the turn of the twentieth
century mineral deposits were discovered by geologists, and
Joda formed the nucleus of mining and industrial activity
in Keonjhar in 1905. The early 1990s threw open the gates
for exponential expansion with large-scale investments from
the private sector and foreign investors. There are nearly 118
mining leases, large and medium in Keonjhar.
Keonjhar district had been witnessing large-scale mining
activity during the past three decades. Rampant mining of
iron ore has been taking place in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj and
Sundergarh areas, both legal and illegal. According to reports,
more than 100 open cast iron ore mines covering over 60,000
ha of land are in operation and a large area is under illegal
operation within Keonjhar forest division. 278
Profile of Mining Companies
It is very difficult to provide details of companies operating or
the area under operation as illegal mining is as much or more
than legal mining. Even large companies operate through
contractors, so it is difficult even for local communities to
understand the ownership of the mines. The local leaders
commented that there were 100–200 illegal mines and around
400 illegal crushers. Table 2.28 gives details of some existing
mining companies in the region.
Keonjhar has the distinction of containing one of the oldest
rocks of the world, approximately 38,000 million years old,
covering an area of 100 sq km at Asanpat. At least 30 per
cent of the total area is covered with dense forest having vast
mineral resources. Almost 60 per cent of the area is covered
by reserved forest and the rest is under the control of the
Revenue Department. The total area under mining activities
in the district is 312 sq km.
277. http://www.boloji.com/analysis2/0173.htm.
278. http://india.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=136864