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Symposium on Pre-Primary & Primary School Education &
Primary School Students Chess Tournament
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This is report MAND received yesterday January 23, 2008. We reproduce this even
as same situation viz. mining with police protection and police attempsts to
arrest Colamb villagers continues even on January 24, 2008.
Today January 23, 2008 is historic day in the life of India’s Goa State;
People’s struggle to defend their land and agriculture has touched historic
high – Goa police are providing police protection to further mining loot and
mineral plunder in Sanguem Taluka’s Colamb village.
Quepem Police station has registered over 100 cases against the Colamb
villagers that participated in historic march to the mine bearing TC No.
06/1949 belonging to Hiralal Khodidas and operated by Fometos.
Fomentos caused insult to the will of the Colamb villagers and Goa’s Adivasi
peace loving community by deploying police force in its mine at Colamb, Sanguem
and resuming the mining operation of open cast mine. Fomentos owned by
businessmen Avadooth Timblo resumed its mining operation under police force. At
the same time company filed criminal cases against the villagers for unlawful
assembly, rioting, threats to cause death and grievous hurt, intention to break
breach of peace, criminal trespass and abduction.
Today morning police began to swoop down upon the villagers with intention to
arrest them. Goa’s men in Khaki’s trips to villagers’ houses reminded few of
the dictatorial Salazar regimes of erstwhile Portuguese colonial State that had
granted the mining leases including this one before so called Goa liberation of
1961. There was hardly any resemblance of Goa being free and progressive State
today in Colamb. In fact it was more like Pakistan under emergency with four
police jeeps patrolling mining site with over 50 policemen including women in
police force inhaling dangerous mining dust in exchange for possibly diesel and
few peanuts from Fomentos. Police were expecting the villagers to confront them
today and had come with all the necessary preparation after one days rest
yesterday when mine was kept closed. However it is unnecessary expenditure and
burden on the State resources to provide such a large number of Police
personnel for this purpose unless mining company treats Goa Police as its
private security. Going by the turn of the events so far this is indeed is the
case that needs urgent attention from Public who pay taxes to the State and
demand accountability as to why State government is letting this show go on.
Though Police could not arrest any one so far till late night, they did show
remarkable swiftness in searching the houses of the villagers; three times cops
made trips to the Peoples’ houses. The police action in this case of acting
against the citizens of India empowered wilh all the constitutional civil
liberties and fundamental rights is indeed in sharp contrast to the way same
Goa police treated the matter of murder through mine collapse of over 5 people
by the mining company in Tollem, Sanguem in 2006. Police must make it public as
to how many people has been charged and arrested and tried for murder? Why this
case was hushed up without a single arrest? Which are the people against whom
FIR has been registered? Why police are acting lethargic in arresting people in
this case of Tollem Mine collapse? The answer is simple and straight forward:
it is precisely because the culprit is the same: Fomento mining company. And of
coarse we know the old saying ‘One who pays the bagpiper calls the tune’. Why
is this state of Goa Police?
Mining industry in Goa operates its way with long chain of frauds. Take this
example of Colamb itself: the chief logic of the police and the mining company
is that it has got environmental clearance from the Environment ministry in
Delhi. This clearance is based on the public hearing form this particular
mining site that was held couple of years ago without any awareness of the same
amongst public in Colamb and the affected people. And the site of this public
hearing was over 30 kms away from the mining site, in Margao. This is a fraud
by which Fomento mining company tricked environment ministry to give
environmental clearance. It is another matter that Delhi is treating Goa as its
colony for the exploitation of mineral wealth with scant respect to Peoples’
expression even in the mandatory public hearings: the case of Sarvan mining of
Zantye mining company is the case in focus.
The appeal here is to the individual policemen on duty towards Fomentos: you
are fortunate to have got this posting at the Colamb mining site to experience
the beauty and splendor of this magnificent village. You’ll are brothers and
sisters as well as citizens of this land. Would you’ll like this village to
disappear from the Map of Goa? Do you like to create mass starvation, misery
and hunger for people of Goa? Now that you’ll have spend day on the mine, how
you’ll are feeling? Inhaling mining dust is dangerous, at least you must demand
protective masks from your higher officers or your lungs will grow weaker and
susceptible for tuberculosis.
Now imagine situation of the villagers in these circumstances where mining
industry is on a roll, if your family was located in this situation, would you
not revolt and protest? No police officer with self respect and dignity, and
worth his salt would tolerate mining terrorism in Goa. This is being written
only to let you know that public in Colamb does consider Police as their
principal enemy. It considers mining company of Fomentos as their principal
enemy simply because it is involved in such a process that will rob them of
their food and shelter – the two fundamental necessities for living. This is an
invitation to Goa Police to stand in Solidarity with the struggling people of
Colamb and be one in their struggle for united we could shape Goa into
prosperous place to live in with our agriculture and forest intact, and show
mining it door ones and for all: for mining is single largest terrorist action,
with central government permission or without it. It is indeed deep feeling of
disgust that Goa Police is involved in protecting terrorist activity. Please
detach from this immediately and take lead in dismantling this mine yourself.
People of Colamb will remember Goa police of this patriotic act on their part
as only model citizens can do. Surely there some highly respectable officers in
Goa Police that will surely respond this call on urgent basis.
--
www.mandgoa.blogspot.com
MAND
An adivasi-rights resource centre,
An initiative of Gawda, Kunbi, Velip, and Dhangar Federation (GAKUVED)
"Hari Smriti"
381, Dhulapi, Corlim, Ilhas,
Goa. Pincode: 403 110
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