Bianca Jagger: A Landmark Victory for Indigenous & Tribal Rights
Posted by John Malloy on 08/25/2010
Indian Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh’s courageous decision saves the real Avatar
Today’s announcement by Indian Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, that the Indian government has rejected Vedanta’s proposed bauxite mine in the Niyamgiri Mountain, Orissa, India, and has suspended the clearance process for the expansion of the Lanjigarh refinery, represents a victory not only for the Dongria Kondh, but for indigenous and tribal people throughout the world.
Minister Ramesh declared that the government will issue a “show-cause notice” and take action against Vedanta. He stated,
“There has been a very serious violation of Environment Protection Act, Forest Conservation Act and the Forest Rights Act. There is no emotion, no politics, no prejudice … I have taken the decision in a purely legal approach. That these laws are being violated.”
Minister Ramesh’s decision was based on the findings of a damning report released on August 16th, commissioned by India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The report by a four member expert committee headed by Dr NC Saxena, found that Vedanta, in active collusion with state officials, has violated the Forest Conservation Act, the Forest Rights Act, the Environment Protection Act (EPA), the Orissa Forest Act and the Rights of Primitive and Tribal Groups. The report argued that if the bauxite mine were allowed to proceed, it would ‘seriously harm the livelihood of hundreds of families’ and ‘destroy one of the most sacred sites of the Kondh Primitive Tribal Groups.’ Furthermore, the expansion of the Lanjigarh refinery was found to be illegal as Vedanta has unlawfully enclosed and occupied 26,123 hectares of Village Forest Lands within the refinery, and contravened the conditions of clearance under the EPA granted to the refinery.
The report concludes, “Since the company in question has repeatedly violated the law, allowing it further access to the proposed mining lease area at the cost of the rights of the Kutia and Dongria Kondh, will have serious consequences for the security and well being of the entire country.”
For the past two years I have been supporting the Kondh’s battle to save their livelihood, under the auspices of the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation (BJHRF). Last April I visited the Kondh in Orissa. I was moved by their commitment and their unflinching determination to remain in Niyamgiri Mountain. Kuleska Patru one of the leaders of the Dongria Kondh told me, “We will not leave Niyamgiri. Without our mountain, our god, there is no life for us; we will resist the forced expulsion till death. Just as a fish cannot survive outside of water, the Kondh cannot survive without Niyamgiri.”
via Bianca Jagger: A Landmark Victory for Indigenous and Tribal Rights.
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