Visit to Siji Mali, Khandual Mali, Kutur Mali of Kalahandi, the proposed bauxite minining sites.
On Dt 27 Oct 2026,
Md Sajid, Saroj Naik, Dwit David Philip, Bhawanipatna
visited the proposed minining sites.
Kantamal, Melghara, Kachalekha and Permanji of Th. Rampur
Objective: To know the issues from its inhabitants.
Findings:
1. villagers are fighting to save their jal, jangal, jamin, jiv
2. some of the villagers are working as informer of company and police
3. political parties have devided opinion
4. sympathiser NGOs role is doubtful
5. students, elders, patty busmen are scared of going out of village out of fear as any body is arrested at any time as in most of the FIRs, investigation is open, and people are booked
Human rights activists and person who are concerned for jaal, jangal, jamin, jiva should jump into the protest because mineing is not going to be done in the interest of the people or state but in the interest of company as per the reports we see in news.
If mining is inevitable, let villagers and all the families of Kalahandi and Raigada be it’s shareholders as it is done in other developing nations.
I don’t agree to the right wing political parties who say, Nehru and Gandhi are responsible for many expected development of the country that could not take place but my allocation to Nehru, Gandhi, Patel and Ambedkar the key proponents of new India that, they could not nationalised the private lands or distribute the private lands equally among all the nationals of the country.
if Patel and Neheru mastermind the merger of states like Kashmir, Hyderabad and all the princely states in India, why not all private lands be deprivatised.
My logic is, Kings alloted private and gave private land ownership. British started giving record of rights.
Those who were landless during times of kings till now they are landless if their parents have not being able to purchase land by any meanse. in indipendent India by influencing government many got lands by lease or by any meanse. indira Gandhi government could introduce ll and ceiling and can nationalise the private surplus land. These are just a policy matter.
So in mining area, land holders tribals are getting compansession, but landless even being a tribal are not getting the same, so the landless dalit from time immemorial are in jungle, where they will go and what will be their fate.
In Kalahandi due to forest and bauxite of Thuamul Rampur and Lanjigarh we are getting good climate, water, air, forest products. Forest dwellers getting livelihood support from forest by cultivating or without cultivating, collecting varities of tubers, leaves, flowers, fruits, animals birds etc. So landless will loose stake over forest.
Some People of Kalahandi are persuing mining including leading politician, burocrates, farmers, students and business men. though bauxite will be dried up within 30-40 years and Kalahandi will turn into urban and Cosmopolitan but they will loose the stake and climate. They will no more be the decesion makers of Kalahandi neither on industry, nor in city, not in village or panchayats as it is in Jamshedpur, Rourkela, Bokaro etc.
Apprihentions are many and hopes are little, if people are not it’s stake holders or share holders.
Dwit David Philip
Advocate and Social worker
Bhawanipatna, Kalahadi, Odisha
