Children - Terre des Hommes

16
However, the number of people employed in the formal
sector is relatively small — in 2005, this amounted to
20 Instead, the majority of people working in
mining and quarrying in India are engaged in the informal
sector, which is more labour intensive, less mechanised and
less organised. Rather than being paid a daily wage for their
labour, their earnings are usually according to what they
produce. They often have no formal contracts and therefore
no employment rights. Many are migrant labourers living
in makeshift housing close to mine sites. Villagers in
Mariyammnahalli in Bellary district, Karnataka, explained
how there are no facilities provided for mine workers. All
the facilities provided — such as schooling for their children,
houses, water and health facilities — are only available for
technical workers and officers in the large mining companies.
Informal mineworkers are provided with nothing, and they
are too afraid to join a union or complain about the situation
in case they lose their jobs. 21 The nature of the work is
fundamentally unsustainable.
Illegal mining
Illegal mining is rampant across India. It is estimated that in
Maharashtra, at least 25% of the stone quarries are operating
illegally. 22 A similar situation was observed in all other states
visited — in some areas, almost 50 per cent of mines and
quarries are either illegal, or illegal extraction of minerals
is taking place there. For instance, in Jambunathahalli, a
small village near Hospet, in Karnataka, the research team
found over 100 acres of land being used for small-scale
illegal mining. The researchers visited three sites where
mainly migrant labour from other parts of the state were
illegally operating mines here but the numbers reduced due
to economic recession. 23 According to the District Mining
reality reports show that there are double this number
operating illegally. It was unofficially accepted that between
Table 1.2 shows an estimate of the number of illegal mines
operating across the country as reported by the state
governments.
This table clearly shows the huge number of illegal mines that
have been identified by the state governments. In Andhra
found in 2008. However, no real action was taken following
their discovery — there was not a single First Information
Report (FIR) or court case filed. And in other states there
has been a noticeable increase in the number of illegal mines
2008.
Mine closures
Very little attention has been given to “post mining” situations
and in particular, the ways in which local communities
are impacted when mines shut down. Most mine closure
plans do not address the impact of closure on workers or
the communities dependent on mining activities for their
survival. Attention is rarely paid to the rehabilitation of these
workers and communities. In Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan,
stone quarries have ceased operations in several localities
and with no alternative livelihoods, former mine workers are
forced to leave their villages and seek work in other states.
In the Kolar district of Karnataka, the closing down of gold
mining operations of the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) has left
a large community with no livelihood options. When the
company was closed down suddenly in 2002, the entire
population of KGF fell into a crisis with no alternative
source of income or livelihood. Workers stated that although
their salaries were not very high, infrastructure and free
services provided to them by the company ensured that the
basic needs of health, education and public services were
met, but when the company shut down, not only were the
salaries withdrawn but also all basic amenities. After the
closure, the company withdrew all amenities to the workers.
State institutions did not take over as workers were not in
a position to pay for these services. Children of workers’
families were the most affected by the company’s decision.
Children’s education and social security faced the axe. As
education was no longer a free service, many of the workers
could not pay school fees during the period of the strike.
Children faced humiliation at school and many of them had
to drop out and take on the responsibility of sustaining their
families, forcing many of them to travel out to Bangalore in
20. Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Selected State-Wise Average Daily Employment and Number of Reporting Mines in India, 2002 – 2005.
21.
22.
23.
24.
Interviews with mineworkers, Mariyammnahalli, Bellary district, Karnataka, June 2009.
Interview with Mr. Bastu Rege, Director, Santulan, September 2009.
Interviews carried out in Hospet area, Bellary, Karnataka, June 2009.
Interviews with residents of Jethwai village, Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, July 2009.