URGENT APPEAL!!!
Forestall another Nandigram!
Situation in Jagatsinghpur Tense as State Backed Goons Mount Attacks on Anti- POSCO Agitators
Write urgently to CM, Governor and PMO to take action to stop planned Nandigram type violence against the people who are protesting against the POSCO plant (fax number given below)
Dear friends
A strong people's resistance has been going on in the parts of Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa against acquisition of their land for a steel plant and captive port proposed in the area since July 2005, a month after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the project was signed between the Government of Orissa and Pohang Steel Company Limited (POSCO). Despite the strong local resistance, government seems hell bent on expediting the implementation of the project. The situation became very volatile in April this year when several platoons of Orissa Military Police were deployed in the area five days before the mandatory environmental clearance public hearing on 15 th April 2007. The protests in the three affected Gram Panchayats have become stronger especially after PM Manmohan Singh's statement on April 19th asking the Orissa government to expedite the land acquisition process.
The State is desperate to start the POSCO project work by April 2008. Failing to break the anti-POSCO movement through money, bribery and threat, POSCO and Government of Orissa have taken a clue from Nandigram and are trying to create a situation of violence, which then will become a pretext to send in the police. They have realized by now that they can't use state force directly. Thus local mafia and criminals are being armed to initiate action against the ant-POSCO people. Through such interventions they are trying to create a situation for entry of police /para military force to support the local goons.
The current situation on the ground is extremely tense. On 25 th November 2007, armed supporters of pro-POSCO local MLA and ex-minister Damodar Rout (BJD) launched an attack on the procession of villagers opposing the POSCO project in Jagatsinghpur. The procession was passing by the Mahaveer Peetha at Nuagan on their way to Nolia Sahi to reconstruct a check which Rout's men had smashed on 23rd November. Latest reports suggest that an attack is being planned on the road blockade by anti-POSCO agitators and there is every possibility of a confrontation at any moment.
On 21st November, a group of employees of the Hyderabad based Dharitri Company attempted a PUJA to start the dredging work of river Jatadhari claiming that it was a contract job of the oil refinery in Paradeep. The agitating villagers who have been fooled by such groups many a times in the past refused to believe them and requested the employees to honorably leave the place. But, the chief of the local Mahaveer Peetha (a place owned by fundamentalist Hindu groups) who was supposed to perform the Puja and who is also known as a person controlling a few musclemen in the area and a close associate of ruling party MLA Mr.Rout, entered into a verbal duel with the agitators which ultimately resulted in a conflict causing injuries to a few people from both sides. Taking a procession of his followers on 23rd November he broke the check gate constructed by the protesting villagers to prevent the entry of POSCO officials, police and administration.
The agitating villagers decided to reconstruct the gate. They convened a meeting at Balitutha to discuss the new threats to their movement from the religious head with organized muscle power who has been engaged by POSCO and Rout with the active support of the administration. At 2 pm a procession of anti-POSCO villagers marched towards Nolia Sahi to repair the check gate. This procession was attacked Mahaveer Peetha by an armed gang under the leadership of Raju baba. Two leaders of the anti- POSCO agitation were critically injured and shifted to SCB medical college hospital while 6 more have been admitted in to the local hospital at Balitutha.
The movement has shown admirable restraint and has been trying to defuse the situation. The movement leadership however apprehends that once this attack is launched, the armed police will also move in and a repeat of Nandigram may take place. With hundreds of anti-POSCO youth and children having formed "Self-sacrifice brigade", we are extremely apprehensive about the outcomes of this deliberate provocation being planned by POSCO and State Government.
We therefore request you to urgently:
1. Write to the Governor and Chief Minister of Orissa to ask them to take action to stop planned Nandigram type violence against the people who are protesting against the POSCO plant and their displacement in Jagatsinghpur.
2.Write to the Prime Minister whose office is taking extra interest in mobilizing all administrative support for the project
The Fax Nos. are:
Naveen Patnaik, chief minister, Orissa - Fax 0674-2535100,
Shri Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, Governor, Orissa- Fax: 0674-2404695
Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister - Fax: 011-23019545 / 011-23016857.
The Phone Nos. are:
Murlidhar Chandrakan Bhandare, GOvernor Off: 0674 2400056, 2410550. Private Secretary: 2401002
Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister Off: 0674 2531100, 2535100 Secretary: 0674 2590299, 2591099
In Solidarity
Mamata Dash, Subrat Sahu, Vijayan MJ and Sridevi Panikkar
On behalf of Delhi Solidarity Group
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In Solidarity,
Delhi Forum
F-10/12, Malviya Nagar
New Delhi - 110017 INDIA
Phones: +91-11-26680883/26680914
Emails: dforum@bol.net.in / delhiforum@gmail.com