STATEMENT OF CONCERN ON NIYAMGIRI

Dear friends
Iam sending you a statement by concerned citizens on the recent order of supreme court giving mining powers to sterlize industries in Niyamgiri Orissa.Please endorse the statement and if possible please forward it to the other activist group and individuals.

Asit

STATEMENT OF CONCERN ON NIYAMGIRI



We the undersigned are deeply concerned over the recent order of the Supreme Court in T.N. Godavaraman Thirumulpad vs. Union of India and Others in the matter of M/s Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd. This Order will pave the way for forcible displacement of thousands of adivasis for the mining of bauxite by Sterlite Industries Ltd., a frontal company of the notorious Vedanta Alimunium Industries, which is already tainted with its corporate malpractices.



We note with deep anxiety that most of the inhabitants here are Dongria Kondhs who are classified as Primitive Tribes (which itself is a colonial construct) who know no other way of life hence need to be dealt with due sensitivity and precaution and who will be uprooted and marginalized once they are removed from their natural habitat. Today, where the UN bodies, all the governments, international and national civil societies including the progressive and democratic organisations world over are worried and deliberating on global warming and the impending ecological disaster and death of the planet. The issue raised by this judgement has become of crucial importance. The Dongria Kondhs who live a harmonious and symbiotic relationship with their environment show the way to mankind on how to lead a sustainable, meaningful and egalitarian life.



It is also to be noted that the present order of the Supreme Court contradicts the 89th Amendment of the Constitution which clearly stipulates that no industry, mines or townships or any other construction activity can be undertaken without the consent of the Gram Sabhas of adivasis residing in the areas demarcated under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.



This order will also nullify the implementation of the recently passed Forest Rights Act, under which the adivasis tilling forestland should get the ownership of the land they have been tilling since years.



We are also deeply concerned that mining in Niyamgiri area will seriously upset the ecological equilibrium; this area is very rich in bio diversity including rare flora and fauna and many species of rare medicinal herbs. Niyamgiri hills are also the source of important rivers like Nagavali, Vansdhara, which caters to the need of many districts in Orissa including the southern coastal districts. The mining in that area will contravene the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 because it will seriously violate the letter and spirit of the Act.



We urge the political parties especially the three most important pillars of our democracy i.e. the Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature to take cognisance of the aspirations of innumerable anti-displacement movements and progressive and democratic organisations in the country and scrap the draconian and colonial land acquisition act of 1894. Thus we call upon the Supreme Court, Government of India and Orissa to reconsider the case of mining in the Niyamgiri Hills and rescind the permission given to Sterlite Industries for mining in Niyamgiri.



Kamal Mitra Chenoy School of International Study,JNU

Prof utsa Patnaik Centre for Economic Studiesa dn Planning,School of Planning,JNU

Prof Anuradha Chenoy School of International Studies,JNU

Prof C.P. Chandrasekhar CESP/SSS, JNU

Prof Pralay Kanungo Centre for Political Studies, JNU

Prof K. R. Nayar Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health

Thomas kochery World Forum of Fisher People ,Special Invitee,NAPM,NFF,NCI

Professor Arun Kumar Centre for Study of Economic and Social Planning, School of

Social Science, JNU

Vijay Pratap Convenor, Lokayan

Babulal Sharma Convenor, Global Gandhi Forum

Rakesh Bhatt Coordinator, SADED/CSDS

Faisal Khan Asha Parivar, NAPM, New Delhi

Anil Thakur Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, New Delhi

Chandrasekhar Hota Research Scholar, Centre for Political Studies, School of Social

Science, JNU

Jeet Bhattacharya Research Scholar, Film Studies, School of Art and Aesthetics, JNU

Peeyush Pant Editor, Lok Samvad, New Delhi

Sayantoni Datta SADED/CSDS

Asit Social Activist-Researcher, New Delhi

Kumar Sameer Social Activist, New Delhi

Shabnam Hashmi Anhad, New Delhi

Kavita Krishnan Editor, Liberation

Kiran Shaheen Media and Social activist, New Delhi

Kundan Kumar Activist,Researcher,Orissa

Felix Padel Anthropologist,U.K.

Subrat Kumar Sahu film Maker and Freelance Writer, New Delhi

Mamta Dash Social activist and researcher, New Delhi

Prof Manidra Nath Thakur Centre for Political Studies ,SSS,JNU

Prof Vivek Kumar Centre for Study of Social System, SSS, JNU

Prof Rohan D'Souza Centre for Study of Science Policy, SSS ,JNU

Prof Mohan Rao Centre for Social Medicine and community health, JNU

Prof Janaki Abraham Women's Study Programme, SSS, JNU

Prof Vanitha Damodaran University of Sussex, Sussex, U.K.

Prof Asha Sarangi Centre for Political Studies,JNU

Prithpal Singh randhawa Research Scholar, Instutute of Development Studies,Sussex, U.K.

Rona Wilson Research Scholar and social activist, New Delhi

Sunil Kumar Social Activist, New Delhi

G.N. Trivedi Lecturer, Moti lal Nehru College, Delhi University

Amit Student, CESP/SSS, JNU

Sumandro Research Scholar, JNU

Debolina Biswas Student, CESP/SSS,JNU

Dhananjay Tripathi Ex-President,JNU student's Union

Vibha Iyer Research Scholar, Centre for economic and social planning,SSS,JNU

Zico Dasguptan Councilor JNU Student's Union

P.K. Anand Research Scholar , CEAS /JNU

Prof Chaman Lal Centre for Indian language,School of Language,JNU

Agnctra Ghosh Research Scholar, Film Studies, School of art and Aesthetic,JNU

Rishika Mehrshi Research Scholar, Film Studies, School of art and Aesthetic,JNU

A.P. kaveendra Research Scholar, CIL/SL, JNU

Awadesh Research Scholar, CIL/SL, JNU

Ashok Agarwal

Ayush Social Activist, New Delhi

Pushkar Raj PUCL, India

Ashok Aggrwal Lawyer and social activist, New Delhi

Ambarish Rai President Lok sangram Morcha , Gujarat

Anand Verma Social Activist, Bhopal

Rita Mishra Social Activist, New Delhi

Tapas Ray Former Journalist,USA

Subhas Mahapatra Human Right activist Raipur, Chhatishgarh

Rose Mary viswanath Equations, Bangalore

Aseem Srivastava Activists/Researcher, New Delhi

Jaya Iyer Theatre and social activist , New Delhi

Aftab Alam Research Scholar jnu

mansi asher activist researcher ,lonavala maharastra