| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | Hindalco PubliC Hearing Farce
Write letters of protest demanding cancellation of public hearing because villagers were not allowed to participate.
Prodipto Ghosh Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forests Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003 copy to: 1. Dr R Chandra Mohan, Joint Secretary Impact Assessment Cell Ministry of Environment and Forests Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003 2. Dr Subramanium, Director (Industry) Impact Assessment Cell Ministry of Environment and Forests Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003 3. Dr D Rajagopalan Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar Delhi 110092 Dear Friends HINDALCO Industries Limited, member of the The Aditya Birla Group is trying to establish one Aditya Aluminium Project at village Bamaloi near Lapanga Railway Station in Sambalpur. The Project is about a Smelter Plant to produce about 260,000 Tonnes Per Annum and a coal based Captive power Plant of 5x130 MW capacity. It has been trying to obtain clearance from the State Polution Control Board since 1998. It is to pollute the environment of Sambalpur and Jharsuguda region including the water of Hirakud Dam Reservoir. The same environment is being polluted by a number of sponge iron plants coming up in the region. Recently on 18th January 2005 State Polution Control Board organised a Public Hearing for its Captive Power Plant at village Bamaloi. In this Public Hearing it was found that out of 500 persons who were present during the Publc Hearing a large section was least concerned about the Polution the CPP is going to cause. Most of them were begging for a good rehabilitation, jobs for their children, wonership of a shop in the promised market complex, and so on and so forth, Some of them posed to be leaders/ people's representatives and were found begging for better periphery development in terms better roads, schools, and hospital. This section also included chief functionaries of some non-government organisations. They were found to plead for getting a chunk from the rehabilitation package or a generous grant from the company. It was amazing to note that the villagers, actually the working class people, were not allowed to come to the meeting place, cordened by armed police. As a precaution leaders of such working class people had been booked under 107 CRPC. However, the villagers did not yeild. Hundreds of villagers came near the Public Hearing in a Rally, banners in their hand reading Do Away With Aditya Aluminium! Obviously environmental questions were to be discussed and debated in the Public Hearing organised by the State Pollution Control Board. But it was very much disappointing when Dr. Liakat Ali of Pollution Control Board declared that they invite people's opinion on both peripheral development and environment. Mr. Vishal Gagan, the District Magistrate and Collector chaired and in his inaugural speech explained what sort of peripheral development is going to accrue to this tribal dominated area due to the upcoming of the Project, virtually canvassing for the Project by his presentation. Any body who talked anything against the Project was demoralised by the Panel chaired by the Collector. When Prof. Durga Prasad Nayak, a renowened environmental activist, Chief Editor of a local daily the Agnisikha, pointed out the distorted facts about environmental status presented by the Project in their Executive Summary of the Project, he was hackled like anything. He was not gibven a fair chance to speak. The Collector opposed and asked him to sit back. Prof Nayak, who is now in his eightys, happens to be a public figure in Orissa. Social activists Muktakantha Pradhan who accompanied Prof Nayak to the Public Hearing and some villagers also protested the injustice of the Panel and insisted to dwell on Pollution Issues and abandon any discussion on peripheral development. The Collector was found obstinate. He ignored such pleadings for environment and encouraged discussion on rehabilitation and periphery development. Then Prof DP Nayak and Muktakantha Pradhan submitted a written submission. Please find it in the Attachment. In view of the attitude of the Collector-cum-Chairman of the Panel in the Public Hearing it is apprehended that the Panel may not take into consideration the points raised by Prof. Nayak. By now most of the daily newspapers have come out with the story. Public meetings codemning the act of the Collector are being organised in different places. Pl Comment. Express with your solidarity to the people who are resisting.Visit village Bomaloi near Lapanga Railway station between Jharsuda Junction and Sambalpur Junction on the South Eastern Railways.
RESPONSE  CHANDAN_BB@YAHOO.COM http://NOTHING SIR, YOUR ASSESMENT ABOUT ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT IF HINDALCO WILL COMMISSIONE ITS SMELETER PLANT IN OUR VILLEGE IS WRONG BECAUSE WHEN YOUR GETTING 15000 CRORE INVESTMENT IN A REMOTE VILLEGE LIKE BAMLOI YOU HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING AND YOU CANT EXPECT ENVIROMENTAL STANDERED LIKE EUROPE IN INDIA AND UPTO YOU TO DECIDE YOU NEED 15000 CRORE INDUSTRY GOOD ROAD INFRASTRUCUTRE OR ENVIROMENT WE R GOING TO DISPLACED AND STILL WE R HAPPY BECAUSE WE CONISEDER FOR LARGER INTREST OF MY STATE PEOPLE WE R GIVING SACRIFICE AND WE R PROUD OF OUR SACRIFICE AND WE NEED 15000 CRORE OF INVESTMENT BIKAS
If one has a head to judge, let him judge. mkpsbp@sancharnet.in http://nil Villagers like Bikas are ready to sacrifice the nation for their immediate gains like a good road,market,houses,cars,telephones and other amenities. It is natural. For, they do not get those from their governments---even after their parties rule for years in the Center and the State. Paupers as they are, their precious iron ores, buxites, coal and uranium is easily taken away at no price, only royalty, and pollution to weep for generations. Such villagers sell their morality. Look at the proud villagers of Kasipur who withstand the greed despite the hunger for the cause of the nation and the earth. Vlillager Bikas personally propagated of Shivajee and Surendra Sai who fought for the dignity of their motherland. Shivajee and Surendra Sai did not preferred good roads, nor any taj in exchange of their dignity. Bikas is not willingly sacrificing. He and many others like him are being pleased to sacrifice.They are never proud. Foolishness is not pride. Regarding investmnt, Please dont teach us economics or commerce. Profit accruses to those who invest, not to the marketplace. Making your village a market ground or factory ground will only destroy the environment, loot your precious minerals and at the same time destroy your dignity.The future generation will remember you as Dayanidhi Meher, not as Surendra Sai. If one is really the person called Bikas one should understand what Bikas means and stands for. Sustainable development can be achieved if the Hirakud water is allowed to be used by farmers in Jharsuguda District. The Orissa government has run into agreement of giving 305 cusec water from the Hirakud reservoir to industry. By this water 27000 acres of land can be made irrigated producing double crop. Roughly that would give employment to 10,000 poor families permanently, without pollution.
Hindalco satish_12345@yahoo.co.in http://nothing Hi,
I am satish from mumbai.I had gone through above comments I would like to add my comment.Actually Hindalco was never interested in Aditya aluminum project. Actually hindalco wanted to acquire controlling stake in NALCO but with congress government taking over dream of hindalco fades as monmohan sing government with the pressure of left decided not to sell stakes of NALCO. So it compelled Hindalco to sign the MOU with orissa government on April 8 2005.According sources Birls are dire need of alumina for their renukoot plant so they are in the process of establishing a alumina refinery and no intention of building a new smelter in orissa. According sources Hindalco is not at all interested to establish a green field smelter in village bamaloi on following grounds 1-It is already 3 months passed since the MOU has been signed Hindalco official are entirely tight lipped about the Smelter 2-One of the reputed news paper published that Hindalco wanted to set up its refinery in rayagada in kansariguda and it has no intention to built a green field smelter 3-The AAP conceptualized in the year 1995 then Hindalco signed MOU with OMC orissa in the year 1997 to raise 3 million tone per annual bauxite from kondigamali mines in kansarigud 4-The simple question why it took so many year for Hindalco to sign the MOU 5-Hindalco is a very reputed co and its chairman is ranked on the biggest rich in asia so why it is completely tight lipped about AAP after all it is a mega project 6-Even though the state government of orissa giving all assistance to Hindalco in other words the entire state machinery is behind Hindalco so why its not inciating land acquisition process 7-Hindalco now started to acquire land in kansariguda but why its not doing so in bomaloi lapanga even after 3 month passed since MOU 8-The MOU was signed with much the chairman of Hindalco Mr Kumar mangalam birla saying AAP will be a world-class project and AAP will start production with in four year 9-Hindalco never say where it generate 11000 crore required for AAP . 10-What will be the debt equity ratio for AAP 11-Earlier worlds reputed aluminum consultant hath Kaiser retained by Hindalco to prepare the feasibility report and it advised Hindalco not to go ahead wit AAP so Hindalco shelved the green fied AAP in the year 1999 so why Hindalco wanted to revive it Conclusion Regarding AAP Hindalco has a eye on orissa”s bauxite reserve in Koraput so it wants to loot yes I am using the term loot orissa’s bauxite and wand to ship it to its renukoot plant with no intention of setting of a smelter in village bomaloi ,sambalpur Regards Satish Mumbai |