[Reader-list] Threat of Violence against women activists at TATA STEEL Public Hearing – March 12th

[asit das]

Threat of Violence against women activists at TATA STEEL Public Hearing –
March 12th

Noamundi is a census town in Pashchimi Singhbhum district in the Indian
state of Jharkhand. It is also an administrative ‘block’. It is a small
mining town in close to the Orissa border. It lies near to Jamshedpur and
64 km (40 mi) from Chaibasa. Nearby towns include Padapahar, Barajamda,
Kharsawan, Gua and Kiriburu.Noamundi, in the West  Si n g h b h u m d i s
tr i c t o f  Jharkhand, is the iron ore
capital of India. Most of the  mines here are being run by  the Tatas.The
area is also one  of the most polluted. Red iron ore dust from mining
activity around Noamundi  covers every surface affecting crops, animals and
humans.
For more infromation contact-  09471315165 for more details



 “On 12th March their Noamundi mines TATA STEEL is having a public hearing
for extension of lease their mines. They have tried it in 20054 and the
villagers drove them away. This time they are using all kinds of pressure
tactics on Omon Mahila Samiti and JMACC threatening violence etc. The
former CM of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi has guaranteed the TATAS that he
will get this public hearing done at any cost. Babulal send a journalist to
Oman telling them that if they oppose then the State will brand them as
Maoist. We fear violence on that day. Journalist who can please help by
covering the news. “

What will happen on march 12, 2012, a  Repeat of Septemebr 25th 2004

LATEST UPDATE

Jeshoda Das is a nurse at the TISCO Mines hospital in Jodda Orissa some km
from Noamundi in Jharkhand. For the past two weeks she is being mentally
tortured by the GM of TISCO. Her fault? Her elder sister Ambika Das is the
leader of Oman Mahila Sangathan leading the movement against the Public
Hearing to be held on 12th of March. The GM and others from their personnel
department has told her that she will loose her job if Oman does not
withdraw the agitation against the mines extension.

Jeshoda has told the GM point blank that they can throw her out but she
does not want her people to suffer because of her job.

The other good point in the movement is that a majority of the Adivasi
Traditional tribal chiefs known as Mundas are with Oman. TISCO is trying to
purchase them. Rice beer and cash is being poured into these villages to
divide the people.

WE HAVE ALSO JUST RECEIVED NEWS THAT THE POLICE HAVE BEEN GIVEN ORDERS FOR
A LATHI CHARGE. AN ORDER FOR LATHI CHARGE MEANS THAT A FIRING ORDER TOO IS
IN PLACE. THE JUST APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF TATAS CYRUS MISTRY HAS COMPLETED A
TOUR OF THE NOAMUNDI MINES THIS WEEEK IN PREPARATION FOR THE PUBLIC
HEARING.’

Jharkhand’s  Curse.

Natural water resources have been drying up or polluted over the decades
due to mining and consequent change in weather conditions. Noamundi used to
get tons of rain in the early 90s but now there is no method to the rains
in Noamundi. Local people attribute this to the devastation of forests and
indiscriminate mining.

For a better part of the 20th century, Tata Steel went on to become
synonymous with Indian industrialisation, social philanthropy and ethical
capitalism. Long before fair labour practices were enshrined in Indian law
or adopted in the West, the company introduced an eight-hour working day,
equal pay for equal work, maternity benefits, worker’s accident
compensation and profit-sharing bonuses. For five decades at the helm of
the Tata business empire, JRD Tata was credited with infusing Tata Steel
with a “people-first” approach that earned the company its continuing
competitive edge – strong loyalty and high productivity from its workers,
allowing it to produce good quality steel at low costs. All the leading
business figures of the Tata family set personal examples by bequeathing
large portions of their personal wealth to philanthropic trusts, run by the
Tata holding group for social welfare and advancement.

Fast-forward to the post-liberalisation era of the 90s and slowly, Tata
Steel’s ethical tilt began to appear more like an ethical veneer. The
company’s head of communications, Sanjay Choudhary had been quick to
dismiss Kalinganagar as “a stray incident [that] should not derail a good
thing.” In reality, it was not a stray incident. In August 1997, two women
were crushed to death during a protest rally against Tata Steel’s proposal
to set up a steel plant in Gopalpur-on-Sea, a coastal town in Orissa. Three
years later, the company was forced to abandon the proposal following
protests from over 20,000 people. In 2000, three tribal youth were shot
dead by the police during a peaceful demonstration near a proposed Tata
Steel bauxite-mining site in Rayagada district, Orissa. In Kalinganagar
itself, since the 2006 incident there have been a dozen more mining-related
deaths, of which — were due to protests against Tata Steel, according to
news reports.

In  2004  in Noamundi, the September 25 public hearing was held inside the
premises of the Tata Iron and Steel Company — something which was a
violation of the Environment Ministry’s statutory norms. According to
Chokro Khandait of the Chaibasa-based Jharkhand Organisation for Human
Rights (JOHAR), the villagers fear TISCO’s expanded mining operations will
lead to the loss of their lands. They wanted to speak out in the public
hearing, to air their views. But the police stopped them  before they
could come near the premises. But according to TATA official Release -300
people from nearby villages attended the hearing , which actually mostly
TISCO employees.

SO, now what will TATA STEEL do, hire goons, no why should they when they
have the State support.

But how come, the legality of this meeting is not questioned if it is
against the   Environment Ministry’s statutory norms.

Please share  widely THE TATA STEEL PUBLIC HEARING FOR EXTENSION OF LEASE
IS ILLEGAL, until and unless the affected villagers are heard and convinced
, the mining lease cannot be extended.

Lets all PROTEST

so please share widely on your  blog, website, twitter, Fb page