[Reader-list] posco struggle

[Asit asitreds]

* *

*"Over Our Dead Bodies" A Report from the Barricades.*

*A brief note on the Anti POSCO struggle in Orissa*
* * *The crisis of capitalism and the collapse of the Brettonwood system:**
* The coming in of Neo-Liberal Economics in the form of "globalization",
read imperialism, has led to the intensification of imperialist intervention
solely because of capital's ruthless drive for accumulation and profit
maximization. This incessant drive is forcing developed capitalist countries
in an ever increasing search for cheap labour, cheap resources and captive
markets. Ever since the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the counter
revolutionary reforms in China, the space allowing imperialist interventions
with impunity has increased manifold. In the recent past the globe has
witnessed numerous violent and insidious so called "non violent"  interventions
across the globe, i.e Nicaragua, Granada, Panama, Tahiti, Afghanistan,
Argentina, several countries of Africa. The most striking example of early
21st century accumulation through direct occupation and even genocide as is
happening in Iraq. These interventions have upset regional and national
economies, disposed millions and created areas of unrest and strife; the
pauperisation of Latin America, hunger famine and ethnic strife in Africa
and the establishment of compradors, outright  World Bank puppets,
dictatorships/client
regimes and military juntas such as in India, Pakistan, Saudia Arabia,
Kuwait, Philippines, South Korea, Bangladesh  and Afghanistan.    Interventions
from imperialist agencies such as the World Bank, IMF, WTO,  The ADB and
NGO's and donor agencies etc. have so far been effective in imposing a
structural shift within the third world economies. This shift from a
relative notion of self reliance through "import substitution"
industrialisation, food self sufficiency towards dismantling their welfare
structures and imposing an outright commodified imperialist culture heavily
dependant on the privatization of services and the commodification of
natural resources has only resulted in further marginalisation of the people
and increasing inequalities.   In the context of India, these imperialist
interventions are being implemented by the comprador elite which has taken
on the task to facilitate the easy entry of capital. The task for capitalist
intervention has been through these compradors who divert the people
attention from issues confronting their immediate life and necessities
through strengthening feudal oppression and captivating the middle classes
within an illusionary web of crass consumerism and cash nexus. Because of
this ruling comprador class, imperialist capital has at its disposal an
unprecedented quantity of cheap mineral resources, land, labour, youth and
government funds. In India we can see the rapid increase in the private
service sector, where a huge number of   our youth are being lured into
working as semi-slaves in late night call centers and BPO's, thousands of
which sprung up overnight only because of rising labour costs in core
capitalist countries.   With developed nations facing rapidly depleting
resources, rising unemployment, high costs of unsustainable consumerism and
falling productivity their ruling classes are compelled to intensify their
economic, cultural, political and armed interventions in developing nations.
This form of brutal primitive accumulation has also given an impetus to
several centers of resistance across developing nations. In India we can see
an intensification of the struggles of the peasantry against forced
displacement taking place across the length and breadth of India, especially
in those resource rich regions where the levels of neo colonial extraction
are high and brutal. A case in point would be the states of Jharkhand,
Chattisgarh and Orissa.



Taking the particular case of Orissa we can see that since the colonial
period there have been a huge number of imperialist interventions and
parallel struggles being waged by the peasantry on the issue of displacement
from forests and farm lands. Orissa is the continuous target for loot by the
imperialist powers, finding within an amicable ally in the comprador ruling
class puppet such as Naveen Patnaik. Nevertheless, there have been several
heroic tribal uprisings against the earlier colonial plunder by martyrs such
as Laxman Nayak in the early 20th century and in the recent years we can see
the emergence of several struggles in Kashipur, Hirakud, Kalinganagar,
Lanjigarh and Jagatsingpur (Anti POSCO). It is in Kalinganagar where
resistance by the adivasi peasantry changed the very contours of resistance
across India. The Kalinganagar struggle marks a break with the earlier
existing forms of Gandhian/Sarvodaya and other liberal forms of protest as
organized by various NGO's etc which looked at anti displacement resistance
within the structures of official grievance redressal mechanisms of the
Indian state which ironically was the primary agent for this imperialist
loot. Even while co-opting and diffusing people's anger, these interventions
were found inadequate when faced with the wrath and greed of rapacious
capital and the armed might of the comprador state. On the contrary, the
mass militant resistance at Kalinganagar, for the first time refused to
negotiate and engage with the state on its assumed legalistic terms of
dialogue which also restricted and set the terms for protest within the
ambit and ideology of the ruling classes on how it perceives and allows
dissent. The activists of the Kalinganagar Vistaphan Birodhi Janmanch took a
stance of no rehabilitation no compensation and no forced displacement from
their lands which have now become an immense source of inspiration for other
anti displacement movements across India.

The anti POSCO people's resistance has been going on in parts of
Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa against the steel plant and captive port
proposed in the area. This struggle has been on since July 2005, a month
after the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the project was signed
between the Government of Orissa and Pohang Steel Company Limited (POSCO).
In many ways the anti POSCO struggle is a logical outcome of the mass
peasant resistance at Kalinganagar.


*The Economy of the region*

There is need to counter the misinformation being disseminated by the ruling
classes regarding the economy of the region. According to the government the
people of this area are very poor and only subsist as marginal farmers.
Nothing can be further from the truth. According to a fact finding team's
survey done in the
area[1]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftn1>;


• The local economy is a thriving, labour-intensive one, based on
agriculture and fishing. The economy is also sustained, apart from staple
crops such as paddy, coconut etc., on cash crops such as betel, cashew,
supari and kewra. Fishing and pisiculture are also prominent sources of
livelihood. Most of these sources provide income and employment throughout
the year.

• The uniqueness of the betel vine cultivation economy, due to the
typicality of the geographical and topographical features like soil, was
highlighted repeatedly by everybody the Team interviewed. It is a thriving,
highly labour intensive activity which provides income throughout the year,
supporting and providing work to a wide age group of people—from the young
to the old—who are engaged in various productive tasks related to
cultivation, plucking, transport and marketing of betel leaves.  The locals
are certain that they will not be able to get most of these jobs at the
POSCO factory because they do not have the requisite skills. Even if they do
manage to get a few of these jobs, they emphasize, the steel project and
port will not be able to provide with the kind of secure livelihood they
currently enjoy.

• The Jatadhari river, estuary and the forest resource base play a very
important role in supporting the cultivation, fishing as well as household
needs like fuel wood etc. In the late 1960s, Loknath Chaudhury, a local
leader and former CPI(MP), led a struggle for transfer of much of the common
land in the area, some of which was already under betel vine, from the
revenue records to the Forest Department so that afforestation initiatives
could be carried out to provide a natural barrier for protection of villages
from impacts of cyclone and to provide for the basic needs of firewood and
stalk for betel vine cultivation. Finally the land was transferred to the
category of gramya jungle or community forests.
*The MOU*

Similarly, concerning the MOU, both the Centre and the Orissa state
government have been extremely secretive about the terms and conditions. The
above mentioned fact finding team also investigated and found startling
facts about the deal.

ON June 22, 2005 the State of Orissa signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with the South Korean Steel giant—Pohang Steel Company Limited, also
known as POSCO. Touted as India's largest Foreign Direct Investment (worth
Rs 52,000 crores) the project involves building of a 12 Million Tonnes Per
Annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant and a captive port in the Ersama Block
of Jagatsinghpur district, Orissa.

* *

*As per the MoU, based on the needs of the "Steel Project", the Company will
also develop and operate the following infrastructure:*
[2]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftn2>
**

*Mining* facilities in the areas allocated by Government of
Orissa/Government of India:

i). To help POSCO produce steel, the Orissa government has promised
recommend to the Union government to hand over captive coal mines to POSCO
until it is ready for mining of its coal block.

ii). To make steel POSCO needs 600 million tonnes of ore from the government
of Orissa. Iron Ore is available at Rs. 2000 to Rs. 2600 per ton.
Discounting extraction costs at Rs 400 per ton, the state government is
subsidizing POSCO at Rs. 96000 crore per year in only the use of iron ore.
And this does not include the amount it may take away. The MoU is set up to
allow extraction for 30 years with extension possible for 20 years. In
addition, unspecified amounts of chromium and manganese will also be
provided to POSCO. Dolomite and limestone will also be made available at
subsidized rates.

*Communications and Transport:*  Road, rail and port infrastructure will be
provided with government help, including the dedicated railway line from the
mine-belt to Paradeep.  POSCO will also construct its own port at Paradeep.
*The government will also construct, a railway line from Haridaspur-Paradeep
and Bansapanl-Paradeep for export of POSCO company's iron ore. *

*Integrated township:* The state government will provide about 6500 acres of
land for the plant site in Paradeep. There is no statement regarding the
price that POSCO will pay for this land. In addition, the state government
has agreed to provide about 20-25 acres of land in Bhubaneswar and hand it
over to POSCO for its office. At what price the company will take this land
has not been mentioned.

*Water supply infrastructure:* According to the MoU, the Government of
Orissa is to permit withdrawal and use of water (near- about 12 thousand to
15 thousand crore liters) from the Mahanadi barrage at Jobra and Naraj in
Cuttack for construction and operation of the "Overall Project". Concerns
have been repeatedly raised over the past two years by citizens of the area
and technical experts that this would severely impact the drinking and
agricultural water supply of Cuttack and neighbouring four districts. The
MoU also promises water to POSCO from the Mahanadi from Jobra barrage. For
free. The MoU is silent about the quantity of water to be provided.

*Revenue:* In order to increase profits for POSCO, the government of India
has given Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to POSCO. The company will not have to
follow various trade, labour and economic regulations. None can compel POSCO
to even pay tax in view of liberalised regime prevalent in SEZs.  *As per
current understanding, in 30 years time, the government of Orissa will get
Rs 22,500 crore and the central government Rs 89,000 crore i.e. a total of
Rs 1,11,500 crore in the form of tax revenue. This works out to Rs 3,700
crore income per annum. This is less than the amount Orissa is paying POSCO
in subsidies only for Iron Ores.*

*Administrative support:* In addition, senior IAS officers of the state will
be put at the service of POSCO for implementation and coordination. It is
mentioned in the conditionality also that if POSCO wants, it can accept
foreign and indigenous private players as partners, whenever it finds
necessary. The local administration is acting in close collaboration with
the Ersama MLA Damodar Rout, (General Secretary BJD). Adept at mobilising
Goondas,  Damodar Raut, with POSCO officials,  the district collector, have
been gathering their forces, all of this is monitored by Priyabrata
Pattnaik, a notorious IAS officer whose action of applying for mining
contract for the officers' club named 'Bhubaneswar Club' was recently
exposed. Incidentally Priyabrata Pattnaik is also the Govt. nodal officer
for the POSCO. Even the present Collector, Mr. Pramod Kumar Meherda has a
history of repression against people's democratic protest, while collector
in Rayagada district, he unleashed a reign of repression to silence the
Kashipur Movement, against the proposed Utkal Alumina bauxite mining and
Alumina plant of the Birlas.
  The Struggle:

The modus of the intervention by the Indian state to forcibly evict large
mass of the peasantry from their farmlands and forests has also undergone a
radical change in the last year. In Nandigram the state first used its armed
forces to try and defeat the democratic resistance of the people, failing
which, the ruling party sent its armed cadres to brutally suppress the
dissent. On Nov 29th 2007 it was the BJD in Jagatsingpur which made the use
of goons to terrorize those involved in the anti POSCO struggle. This is an
alarming trend seen across India, the Congress and NCP in Maharastra has
allowed Reliance to use its goons in intimidating the anti SEZ movement in
Raigarh, the BJP has been using the Bajrang Dal to forcibly acquire land for
SEZs in Gujarat, the BJP has repeated this using the land mafia to forcibly
acquire land for an SEZ near Indore, in Kerala the CPI(M) once again used
its armed cadres to evict adivasis in Wynad, the BJP and Janta Dal(S) used
goons to evict people from Bangalore and other SEZ's spread across the state
and the list is endless. What marks the danger of this current mode of
forced displacement by the state is its increase dependence on using extra
constitutional means and the hiring of goons and lumpen elements to suppress
the democratic struggles and voices of the people.



In POSCO the stakes are very high, not only for the resistance being
organized under the banner of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, but also for
the political and business interests. POSCO is a project which's cost is
estimated to about Rs.52,000 crores; flush with money, the POSCO management
in open connivance of the ruling class elite is desperate to please their
imperialist masters, while the corrupt bureaucracy jump like hungry dogs at
even the small crumbs POSCO throws at them.



After the goons of BJD and POSCO drove the agitators from Balitutha in the
evening of 29th November 2007, within a period of one hour the police
entered Nuagaon village, erected road blockade at Balitutha and establishing
a camp at the same site where the protesters were sitting for the last 2
months, barricaded the road and the police establishing check point near
Trilochanpur, with two platoons staying in a camp in the Trilochanpur
school. The goons with complete support of the armed forces attacked in a
strength of about 1500, heavily armed, with bombs, guns, bows and arrows and
other weapons. After throwing a bomb at the protestors gathering and burning
their tent, the goons mercilessly beat the anti POSCO protestors, especially
targeting the aged and women.

The BJD goons were ruthless; Mrs. Ghura Das of Dhinkia a lady of about 65
had her broken by beating her with an iron rod; Mrs. Tulsi Das about  60
years old also had her hand broken by a severe beating; Mrs. Kunilata Swain,
32 years old was grievously injured on her forehead; Mr. Dwijo Dash, about
60 years old and Mr. Parikshit Maiti also about 60 were ruthless beaten and
hands fractured. There is a huge list of others injured and beaten black and
blue by the lumpen brigade of the BJD and POPSCO and none of the injured
have been provided any medical assistance by the state till now, on the
other hand the injured have to secretly smuggle themselves out of Dinkia and
get medical assistance at Paradeep or Cuttack. Through this entire sordid
episode the police were shameless partisans and they watched while old women
and men were being beaten ruthlessly.



In a classic revelation of the true nature of the criminal justice system of
India, those who were beaten have had further additions to their already
absurdly long list of criminal cases filed against them. Several of the anti
POSCO leaders and sympathizers have more than 200 criminal cases lodged
against them, they cannot leave the area on fear of immediate arrests under
ranging from attempt to murder, rape, criminal trespass, dacoity, arson etc.
Not one goon has had a single case registered against them. This exposes the
farce called the Indian Justice System and the truth behind the much touted
"Largest Democracy in the World". This is the truth behind empty slogans
such as  "India Shining" "Land of Ahimsa" "Land  of Mahavira and Buddha"
"Father of the nation and non violent Gandhi" all this lies completely
exposed while the class nature of the Indian state and its comprador rulers
leave no stone unturned in serving their imperialist masters. But why to
blame a boot licking dog such as Naveen Patnaik, when his true master, our
revered soft spoken P.M., Manmohan Singh can shamelessly declare  in Oxford
that "India has greatly benefited from Colonial rule…" and in Washington he
opens his address to Congress with the words, "I have come to sell India.."



*Situation in Dhinkia Gram Panchayat*:

Despite the reverses suffered, the morale of the villagers is very high and
they are willing to face the police at any moment. The people expect that
the first occasion for a decisive fight may come in the shape of entry of
survey team along with Goons and Police. Their steely resolve was echoed in
words from all age groups, "POSCO can be built only over our dead bodies".
They are keeping night vigil on the boundary of the village and are
preparing themselves to face the ensuing Nandigram style combined assault by
the Armed Goons and Police.  About 13 platoons of the police have been
deployed all around Dhinkia with the notion of "maintaining peace and
order", in reality they have laid siege to Dhinkia panchayat and its
villages. Despite this ordeal and isolation, the people of Dhinkia putting
behind all personal hardships are ready for a decisive fight. Grocery shops
are not functioning properly for the lack of materials, as merchants
supplying goods are facing hardships from the Goons and the police. Many
injured are suffering without treatment.



Despite such fascist repressive measures the PPSS have been organizing
meetings in Gobindpur and Nawagaon. In the last month some positive
developments have taken place; the refusal of the Orissa government to
compensate any affected families farming on so called government land has
forced the pro POSCO agitators to take a harsh look at their anti people
stance and to come to terms with the fact that their real interest lie with
the PPSS and not with corrupt middle men and contractors such as Damodar
Raut.



After the ruthless occupation of Iraq and the down trend and slowdown in the
world economy the intensification of loot by developed nations is bound to
get even sharper. The only realistic and practical solution to this
onslaught can be through mass resistance movements such as Kalinganagar and
the anti-POSCO resistance. The point to be noted is that these movements are
inspiring in showing the resolve of the militant peasantry, hence they are
the important sites of resistance against imperialism and the comprador
elite in the third world. Therefore it is imperative for the democratic and
progressive forces to firmly rally behind these struggles and provide them
their unflinching support.







------------------------------

[1]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftnref1>A
team of independent observers comprising Sumit Chakravartty, Editor,
Manistream weekly, New Delhi; Sridevi Panikkar, Delhi Solidarity Group;
Bijulal M. V., Indian Social Institute, New Delhi; Manshi Asher, National
Centre for Advocacy Studies, Pune, visited Bhubaneswar and Jagatsinghpur
between April 19 and 22, 2007



[2]<http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1&view=page&name=gp&ver=sh3fib53pgpk#_ftnref2>
http://orissagov.nic.in/posco/POSCO-MoU.htm