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Vedanta Alumina: A few smiles ruin the days of thousands

"When the Vedanta Company came to Lanjigad the Govt of Orissa, District Administration and the Vedanta officials assured the local inhabitants that poverty would be alleviated. Agricultural production would increase. Irrigation, drinking water, health & sanitation, education & communication facilities would develop. The unemployed youths would get employment. The poor innocent villagers and tribals believed them. But, in reality, after few months the villagers have been taken for a jolly good ride."

Bibhuti Bhushan Pati : May 25, 2009

We dreamt that our village would develop, we would get gainful employment, our agricultural land would be full of crops, greenery would come to our village and all the villagers would lead happy lives. But our dreams were shattered. The greenery faded away from our villages. Our agricultural lands became barren. Our groundwater level touched rock-bottom. Our air got polluted and we experienced unprecedented acid rain in our villages. The biodiversity and atmosphere of the villages were destroyed. We have lost our means of livelihood. These are the emotional reactions of the villagers of Lanjigad Road Panchayat where the multinational Vedanta Alumina company has been established.

“When the Vedanta Company came to Lanjigad the Govt of Orissa, District Administration and the Vedanta officials assured the local inhabitants that poverty would be alleviated. Agricultural production would increase. Irrigation, drinking water, health & sanitation, education & communication facilities would develop. The unemployed youths would get employment. The poor innocent villagers and tribals believed them. But, in reality, after few months the villagers have been taken for a jolly good ride,” said Pitabas Khiringa a local youth.

The recent agitations in Kalahandi and Lanjigad Road Pancahyat revealed the pathetic scenario of Lanjigad. Mamata Das, a social activist of Kalahandi, says, “The Vedanta advertisement slogan is: ‘A few smiles make our day’. But if somebody sees the reality of Lanjigad area Vedanta’s advertisement slogan is a contradiction in terms. It would be more appropriate to say: ‘A few smiles ruin our day’.  She further added, “What the Vedanta is doing and highlighting in the name of peripheral development of Lanjigad is precious little in comparison to what they have been rapaciously destroying incessantly in the local area.

Surya Shankar Das, an Oriya documentary film-maker, Debaranjan Sarangi a local youth and Iteeshree Rout an agriculturist alleged in unison, “Whatever wee bit Vedanta Company is doing for few locals is being blown out of proportion by their officials. Vedanta rather than developing the areas is doing more damage much to the detriment of all which is quite apparent from the deplorable conditions of the local roads. The least said about education and health is better. Our traditional agriculture has come to a virtual standstill. On the contrary, Vedanta is propagating that the tribals are growing strawberries. This does not hold water, at all, as the prevailing climate does not permit it. The hereditary trade of the locals and tribals is deteriorating at a fast pace, while the Vedanta is claiming that they are training local women in phenyle production. It is surprising to note that we have no playground, yet Vedanta sponsors the Ranji Trophy cricket league. While Vedanta is least concerned to promote the traditional art, culture and folk dance of the Dongaria Kondhs, but on the other hand they are flush with funds to organize Beach Festivals. God alone knows as to where and for whom the development is really going on? It seems that the Vedanta officials have successfully cultivated the Government and its administration to further its own capitalistic interests even at the cost of the lives of the poor inhabitants as well as the sylvan terrain of Niyamagiri.”

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The drinking water problem and the unhygienic condition of the Lanjigad Road Panchayat will show the miserable condition of the local areas. Naveen’s pompous declaration that with the establishment and entry of MNCs into Orissa  there would be an overnight positive change in the lifestyle of the locals.. Naveen’s statement is just a political gimmick much to the chagrin and dismay of several local inhabitants of Lanjigada Road Panchayat. The sixty-year- old Jagannath Jhankar is on the brink of death due to abject poverty and acute undernourishment. Sasmita, a highly educated widow of late Sesadev Mahaptra who died in a road accident by a Vedanta vehicle, till date  is awaiting some source of sustenance for herself and for her infant daughter. Due to paucity of medicines and lack of medical attention Sarojini, a septuagenarian is waiting to breathe her last being in excruciating pain. These are the few instances of Lanjigad as to how the Vedanta is making efforts to develop the plight of local people.

The Sarpanch Fakir Majhee and the-then Sarpanch Nilamadhab Mahapatra of Lanjigada recall that when Naveen Patnaik had visited Kasipur the latter had declared at a public meeting that after establishment of Vedanta Alumina the drinking water and unemployment problem would be solved and education facilities would improve. Nila and Fakir are now a very much disillusioned duo. They said, “Apart from a few shabby water cisterns which are not as yet connected with pipes is a cruel joke. The Vedanta people said that they would construct a huge water cistern in Maheswaripur village. This cistern would provide drinking water to all the villages and 16 people would get employment there. Thereafter the Vedanta surreptitiously took water from our river and streams and diverted it to its own plant. After a great deal of chaos and confusion over employment, only 5 of the 16 villagers got jobs as daily wage labourers.”

 “The forest cover is fast disappearing. Acid rain in our villages is wreaking havoc on the health of our populace. Global warming is sky-rocketing much to our discomfiture. We had requested the Vedanta officials for little bit of furniture for our Tribal Lower Primary school, for which they bluntly refused. Is this Vedanta’s development policy?, asked Chakradhar Majhee.

Manoranjan Das, a highly educated and vocationally trained local boy had submitted his c.v. to Vedanta. He met the Vedanta and District administration officials umpteen times from top to bottom but in vain. Manoranjan has lost his own one acre of land to the Vedanta ash pond. The local boys are now ITI trained and highly professionally qualified persons are also available in our district. But Vedanta officials refuse to provide them with jobs. Vedanta officials are taking the plea that the professionally qualified local persons are not available, ITI trained students are seemingly not properly trained according to Vedanta, and they have no experience and nor are they hard working. By usurping the locals’ land, forests and water Vedanta has left the local inhabitants high and dry,” said Manoranjan.

Hundreds of families are displaced. Thousands of families have lost their agricultural land – few partly, rest fully. Ask them, after they lost everything what did they get - smiles or tears? The Vedanta has been sponsoring an ITI. Last year 110 students passed out from the same ITI.  Ironically, Vedanta has failed to employ even a single successful student. “When we met the Vedanta officials they said, ‘No vacancy exists now’. When we asked them the next time, they quizzically asked, ‘What employment?’ We had not committed to absorb you in our organization while educating you,” says an ITI passed student named Surjya Kumar Bohidar.  The Vedanta HRD personnel manager said, “ We funded the ITI to make them self-dependent. They require further training.”

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The Story of Dongaria Kondhas of Niyamgiri

This is the story of creation as to how the Dongaria Kondh community came into being. Once upon a time the Lord thought that who would rule and take care of Mother Nature. The Lord created man and said him to preserve one pumpkin and a cucumber. It was surprising that when man touched the cucumber and pumpkin it remained always fresh. God saw it and asked as to how many seeds were there in a pumpkin? One hundred eighty he said rightfully. God said to him, “Go and rule Mother Nature”. God gave some ‘Niyama’ (laws) how to protect Mother Nature. He was the Niyamaraja. One day Niyamaraja prayed to God and said that it was difficult for him alone to protect nature and asked Him to provide him with people to assist. God blessed him to create his own empire. Niyamaraja created us and named as Dongaria Kondhas. He was the first Dongaria Kondhas.

Niyamaraja lives in the dense forests and on the top of mountain named Niyamagiri. Niyamaraja is the presiding deity of the Dongaria Kondhas. Niyamaraja is the sprit of their ancestors and he protects all inhabitants of the forests. The Kondha tribes believe it is through his miracle alone that numerous streams flow perennially. The Dongaria Kondhas also knon as Jharnia Kondhas as they base their villages along the ‘jharana’ which means streams. They are excellent fruit growers. At the top of the hill is the sacred grove of Niyamaraja where many rare medicinal plants and herbs are found.

It’s Niyamaraja’s order to protect Niyamagiri whenever any outsider intrudes into Niyamagiri. The Niyamaraja said, “If you don’t do then the hills will turn into mud. The rock will crumble and everyone will perish. Pumpkin seeds will be strong and cucumber seeds will be soft. All seeds will die without water and soil. Then I will go out from you.”

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