*The Conference at Kalunga, 6th & 7th March 2010*Press Note * *
*On Displaced Persons’ Conference, Rourkela, 6th & 7th March, 2010,* *at Nava Jagriti, Kalunga* Based on German planning, one of the most advanced steel plants of the world at that time was constructed at Rourkela, Orissa, during the 1950s and 1960s. The construction itself and again several phases of modernization of the plant at later times were done mainly with German technical know how and also with financial assistance from Germany. In the official perception in India, Rourkela is a success story, and the city is considered one of the growth centres of India. In the official perception in Germany, ‘Project Rourkela’ is a success story as well. It is still the biggest project ever in German development assistance. Rourkela in Germany is textbook knowledge. But the general public in India and in Germany is largely not aware of the impact of ‘Project Rourkela’* *on the Adivasi people living in the Rourkela region. This impact was never duly considered by the technical planners and by the financing institutions in Germany. And by the Indian bureaucracy and by the steel plant management it was apparently neglected as well. *Some basic facts concerning the displaced Adivasis of Rourkela and Mandira Dam:* The following facts stand in contrast to public announcements made by the government at the time of land acquisition: - Land was acquired much in excess of what was really needed for the steel plant and the new town; this surplus land (amounting to almost 14,000 acres) is still to be returned to the original owners; - Displaced families were brought to faraway resettlement colonies without even basic amenities in place, and this condition largely continues till date; - Land for land compensation was not made in proper relation to quality and quantity of the land acquired; - Most of the displaced families also did not get employment in the steel plant (contrarily, Non-Adivasis and other non-affected people got employment on the basis of fake displacement certificates) . It is an established fact that the majority of the Adivasi population had no share in the economic development of this region: They had been forced to give up their ancestral lands. Many of them are till date struggling for their rightful claims on assets and livelihoods lost through the eviction. Whatever was done for the displaced in the name of resettlement, compensation, and rehabilitation has been mostly insufficient, ineffective and intransparent. The same is true for the so-called “Periphery Development Programme (PDP)” initiated by RSP with conceptual and financial support from the German Development Bank KfW in the 1990s. These issues had already been discussed in two conferences on Rourkela held in Germany in 2006 and 2009. And demands have been put forward to the KfW, to the German Ministry for Development and to the RSP to share the details on the PDP agreement, the amount of funds allocated, and the implementation. So far, however, they had not responded or only given with evading statements. The “Displaced Persons’ Conference” at Kalunga as such is a historic event, bringing together the different communities of displacement- affected people from the Rourkela, Mandira Dam and Bondamunda areas. From the German side, the German Embassy, Delhi, and the German Development Bank KfW, Delhi, had been invited. But they declined to follow the invitation to Rourkela. From the Indian side, the District Collector, the ADM and the Managing Director of RSP had been invited, but they did not participate in the conference. However, a few members of Adivasi-Koordinatio n in Germany, a civil society organisation in support and solidarity with the Adivasi people of India who had been instrumental in the earlier Rourkela conferences held in Germany, were present. *The first day* The Conference was inaugurated by Rt. Rev. Bishop John Barwa, SVD, Rourkela Diecese, who also gave a very warm welcome address to an audience of about 70 participants. Fr. Stan Swamy of Ranchi, Jharkhand, gave the Keynote Address focussing on the legal and political perspectives of the struggle of Adivasis for control of their resources. Dr. G.B. Nath of Mahatma Gandhi College, Jalda, emphasized on the issues of development- induced displacement in resource rich regions of Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh and argued strongly for the rights of the people over their land and for an inclusive development. Two of the German participants shared their experiences and findings of their social science research which they had done recently in the resettlements sites around Rourkela. This was followed by reading out of solidarity messages from Germany, one of them sent by a person who had been posted in Rourkela as a junior mechanic in the early years. In the afternoon session, members of the displaced communities gave their personal testimonies. This was followed by group discussions in which the displaced persons actively participated, and this continued until evening. At the end of the first day, the inputs were shared with each other. *The second day* In the morning of the second day, Fr. Celestine Xaxa, Jalda, provided an expert legal analysis of the land acquisition processes for RSP and Mandira Dam. Going beyond the Rourkela and Mandira Dam displacements that had occurred 50 years ago and the ongoing plight of the affected communities, Mrs. Dayamani Barla, Ranchi, Jharkhand, gave an outlook on the green field steel plant project proposed by ArcelorMittal in South Jharkhand and the people’s concerns there. Next to the Rourkela experience, Rengali Dam Project in Deogarh District of Orissa has been another so-called development project resulting in large-scale displacement of people, of which Mr. Ajay K. Mahanta, Rourkela, gave some details. Towards the end of the conference, the participants decided to join in a common platform for better coordination with the concerned authorities to address the issues of the displacement affected communities. For further information, please contact: Fr. Celestine Xaxa, mobile no. 9937646005 -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
