By IANS
Raipur : Tribals in Chhattisgarh’s mineral-rich Bastar region have planned a rally next month against the proposed projects of Tata Steel and Essar Steel and are also demanding the rehabilitation of the nearly 50,000 people displaced due to Maoist violence.
The rally will be held Nov 5 at Jagdalpur town, district headquarters of Bastar district, under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Mahasabha, an umbrella group of tribal organisations.
Manish Kunjam, national president of the Mahasabha, said nearly 100,000 tribal men and women were expected to attend the rally to oppose the planned integrated steel plant of Tata Steel in Bastar district and of Essar Steel in neighbouring Dantewada district.
“Tribals will not hand over their land at any cost to Tata Steel for its proposed five million tonne per annum (mtpa) project and also to Essar Steel for its 3.2 mtpa project,” Kunjam told IANS Saturday.
Tata Steel had inked a deal with the Chhattisgarh government in June 2005 to set up the five-mtpa plant at Lohandiguda block in Bastar with an investment of Rs.100 billion.
Essar had similarly signed a deal to invest Rs.70 billion for a two-phased 3.2-mtpa steel plant at Dhurli and Bhansi villages in Dantewada. The district has large fine quality iron ore stocks at Bailadila hills.
Kunjam also said that they sought the rehabilitation of the people displaced due to increased Maoist violence after the launch of a civil militia movement against the rebels.
“The Mahasabha seeks early rehabilitation of about 50,000 people displaced due to a fallout of the civil militia movement, Salwa Judum, launched in June 2005 and another 50,000 people who were forced to flee their native villages and are presently living in bordering Andhra Pradesh as refugees due to authorities’ excesses,” he said.