Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization (FACAM), a New Delhi-based rights group, strongly condemned the intimidation tactics used by the Odisha state against the people of Mali Parbat region, who are protesting against Hindalco’s mining project.
Mali Parbat, a hill rich with Bauxite sacred to local tribes in Koraput District, is protesting against mining Giant Hindalco for almost two decades.
The company owned by Aditya Birla Group is planning to mine 268.1 hectares of land. The matter is also being fought in Court, apart from the ground struggle.
According to FACAM, the people of Mali Parbat are fighting to save 36 natural water streams and hundreds of Hectares of land and forest, set to be devastated by the blasting and other processes to mine the bauxite.
“On 05 January, Odisha High Court ordered the district administration of Koraput to conduct a ‘free and fair Gram Sabha’ with the participation of locals in the decision of Land concerning the proposed mining as mandated under the Panchayat Extension of Schedule Areas Act,” said the FACAM statement.
“However, the preparations to conduct a ‘free and fair Gram Sabha’ by the District administration meant hundreds of Police and Paramilitary, armed to the teeth, parading around the villages- threatening and intimidating the villagers and slapping false cases on the leaders of Mali Parbat Suraksha Samiti — a body that heads the anti-mining movement.”
Currently, 28 activists and people of Mali Parbat’s anti-mining struggle are behind bars.
FACAM says, In the Gram Sabha conducted on 07 January as directed by the Odisha High Court, the majority of 72 out of 81 representatives of Mali Parbat region opposed the mining.
The next hearing of the matter in Odisha High Court is on 15th January 2023.
FACAM has made the following demands:
- Stop slapping false cases on the people opposing the Hindalco mining of Mali Parbat.
- Release all the arrested activists of Mali Parbat Suraksha Samiti and people opposing the mining.
- Withdraw the various Battalions of paramilitary forces from the region.
- Respect the majority position of the locals in 7th Jan Gram Sabha and stop mining in the region.
- Restore the autonomy of Gram Sabhas as mandated under the Panchayat Extension of Schedule Areas Act.
- Stop Operation SAMADHAN-PRAHAR.
The Environmental Clearance (EC) process for the purposes of mining in Mali Parbat, started in 2003, sparking the resistance movement that is continuing to date. In 2006 the environmental Clearance was given and Hindalco was granted a mining lease in 2007.
Due to people’s struggle, Hindalco could not carry out mining and the EC expired in 2011, however, Hindalco started mining illegally after the EC expired, with the collaboration of the state and aid of the paramilitary forces being poured in large numbers.
The mining stopped again, in 2014-15, due to a surge in the people’s movement and the mining lease got expired in 2019.
In 2021, the process to renew the lease of 268.1 hectares of land began, which saw two fake Gram Sabhas (village council meetings) being conducted, amid heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces.
Both the Gram Sabha meetings conducted in September and November of 2021, saw a deployment of around 4000 Police and Paramilitary personnel. The second Gram Sabha, conducted in November 2021 saw strong opposition from the locals, as it was conducted only with 300 pro-Hindalco persons, debarring 1500 people from joining the Gram Sabha.
Paramilitary Camps or “forward operational bases” are part of Operation SAMADHAN-PRAHAR, launched as an extension of Operation Green-Hunt, to supposedly defeat the Maoist movement.
“It is clear that these camps and rampant deployment of forces, in the name of fighting the ‘Maoists’, are acting as a tool to suppress anti-mining movements like Mali Parbat movement against Hindalco Mining,” the readout said.
