Vijayawada: Disquiet in Agency areas over violation of SC orders
The Times of India | Feb 18, 2020
VIJAYAWADA: The disquiet among the Adivasi community in the tribal regions of Visakhapatnam has been rising in recent months as the state government appears to be turning a blind eye to critical rulings by the courts, including the Supreme Court, on the rights of Adivasis to their land.<!–more–>
One important ruling on the rights of the Adivasis was given by the Supreme Court in July 1997. In its judgment filed in the lawsuit brought by Samata, a non-governmental organisation, the apex court declared null and void the transfer of land in the scheduled areas and also upheld the Forest Protection Act of 1980.
“The Supreme Court decision, which has since been called the Samata judgment, is by far the most progressive of rulings, but unfortunately its efficacy has been steadily diluted in AP and other states,” says Ravi Rebbapragada, who is the executive director of Samata, which had brought the lawsuit against the AP government. The Samata ruling had allocated 20% of the net profit to the local area development councils in the states, but somehow that order has been followed more in the breach than in practice, Rebbapragada claimed.
The AP government has also been tardy in enforcing laws pertaining to the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which governs the laws in Adivasi land. “While the AP government has not given any licence for mining of bauxite in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam, it has allowed the mining of laterite, which is also illegal. More importantly, the government has been allowing plains people to illegally set up so-called tourism projects in Agency areas like Lambasingi, Paderu and Anantagiri,” Rebbapragada alleged.
“The Adivasis are even not paid minimum wages. They are treated like slaves by owners of guest houses and hotels and other attractions in these places,” Rebbapragada said.
Apart from over-exploiting the fragile ecology of the Agency areas, tourists have made a mess of the region with rampant littering. “Dallapalli has been almost drowned in single-use plastic bags and other litter, which has not been removed by the administration, making it clear that it wants to exploit the Agency areas at the expense of the Adivasis who have been living in the region for generations, eking a living out of the forests,” he added.
The alleged continuing onslaught on Adivasi rights has prompted them to get together to launch an agitation for the protection of the Fifth Schedule rights. The community held a massive show of strength in Paderu on February 12 which was attended by over one lakh people. A joint action committee of the Adivasis has also requested the AP government to resolve their issues at the earliest.
According to EAS Sarma, a former Union expenditure secretary, Adivasis’ land was being commandeered illegally by plains people on the pretext of setting up hotels in Anantagiri, Paderu and Lambasingi .
- Published in Adivasi, News, Samata in News
शिड्यूल एरिया में गैर आदिवासी को खनन लीज का हक देना गलत : विश्वनाथ
Dainik Jagran | Feb 18, 2020
संविधान के जानकार विश्वनाथ सिंह सरदार ने कहा कि झारखंड उन दस राज्यों में शामिल जिसमें भारतीय संविधान की पांचवी अनुसूची लागू होती है। इसलिए शिड्यूल एरिया में खनन लीज और जमीन अधिग्रहण के लिए ग्राम सभा की अनुमति जरूरी है। ग्राम सभा की अनुमति के बिना शिड्यूल एरिया में खनन अथवा उद्योग नहीं लगाया जा सकता है। इसके लिए ग्राम सभा होना जरूरी है। शिड्यूल एरिया में किसी कीमत पर गैर आदिवासी और कारपोरेट को खनन पट्टा नहीं दिया जा सकता है। इस सम्बंध ने सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने भी आदेश दिया है। विश्वनाथ सिंह सरदार सोमवार को राजनगर प्रखंड के चंवरबांधा गांव में ग्रामीणों को संविधान में उल्लेखित उनके अधिकारों एवं नियमों की जानकारी दे रहे थे। उन्होंने कहा कि शिड्यूल एरिया में किसी कीमत पर गैर आदिवासी और कारपोरेट को खनन पट्टा नहीं दिया जा सकता है। अगर इस क्षेत्र में खनन करना है तो सरकार खुद या फिर ट्राइबल की सोसाइटी बनाकर यह काम कर सकती है। उन्होंने कहा कि राज्य में समता जजमेंट कड़ाई से लागू होना चाहिया। मौके पर उनके साथ वीरेन पाल, झामुमो के केंद्रीय सदस्य हिरालाल सतपथी, रुद्रप्रताप महतो आदि उपस्थित थे।
- Published in Samata in News
Growing influence of Gujarat’s Satipati cult ’caused’ Jharkhand Burugulikera killings
Counterview.net | Feb 10, 2020
A civil rights organization, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM) suspects that “growing influence” of Satipati cult, started in Gujarat, exhorting people to boycott government schemes and elections, on one hand, and religious practices of Adivasis, on the other, may be behind the recent killing of seven persons in Burugulikera village, West Singhbhum district, Jharkahnd. (more…)
- Published in Adivasi, Samata in News
10,000 people charged with sedition in one Jharkhand district. What does democracy mean here?
Scroll.in | Nov 19, 2019
Adivasis say they are being hounded for invoking the Constitution to protect their land rights.
After Haryana and Maharashtra, we travelled to Jharkhand where state assembly elections will be held in five phases starting from November 30. In Khunti district, an hour from the state capital, Ranchi, Adivasi villages are debating whether to boycott the elections as part of a protest movement called Pathalgadi, which literally means the laying of stones. (more…)
- Published in Samata in News
एसीसी सीमेंट कंपनी को एफ-3 का नया लीज देने का जमीन मालिकों ने किया विरोध
दैनिक जागरण: नवंबर 02, 2019
चाईबासा : अखिल भारतीय क्रांतिकारी आदिवासी महासभा के बैनर तले एसीसी सीमेंट कंपनी चाईबासा को एफ-3 का नया लीज की स्वीकृति के विरोध में राजंका, कोंदवा, दोकट्टा व चालकी के आदिवासी जमीन मालिकों ने बैठक कर विरोध जताया। विरोध के बाद राष्ट्रपति, मुख्य न्यायाधीश व राज्यपाल के नाम आवेदन बनाकर जिला प्रशासन के माध्यम से भेजा। महासभा के केंद्रीय अध्यक्ष जॉन मिरन मुंडा ने बैठक को संबोधित करते हुए कहा कि राज्य सरकार कैबिनेट की बैठक कर टोंटो अंचल के एसीसी सीमेंट कारखाना चाईबासा-झींकपानी को एफ-3 का नया लीज की स्वीकृति 63 एकड़ 26 डिसमिल भूमि का लीज बंदोबस्ती किया है। जिसका जमीन मालिक विरोध करते है। हमारा आदिवासी बहुल क्षेत्र संविधान का 5वां अनुसूची के तहत पेशा कानून (ग्रामसभा) और समता जजमेंट का निर्णय ही मान्य है। जिसका अनुपालन नहीं हुआ। (more…)
- Published in Samata in News
10 million miners exposed to silica dust, 50% suffer from deadly silicosis, ministers told
counterview.net | Oct 05, 2019
 |
| Anand Yagnik speaking at the Gujarat consultation |
By Our Representative
A recent seminar in Delhi, held in the presence of two Union ministers, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Ashwini Kumar Choubey, has been told that a whopping 10 million workers working in the mining sector are exposed to silica dust, with 50% of them suffering from silicosis, a deadly incurable lungs disease. (more…)
- Published in Samata in News
Adivasi Organisations Put Forth Their Demands On International Day Of Indigenous Peoples
Youth Ki Awaaz | August 10, 2019
On the 25th International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples, India Indigenous Peoples (IIP), All Adivasis Delhi-NCR in collaboration with more than 50 Adivasi organisations held a press conference in Delhi. On the panel were Dr A. Benjamin Bara, Neetisha Khalkho, Mary Purti, Madan Prasad Gond, Dr Abhay Xaxa and Ashok Baxla. (more…)
- Published in Samata in News
गांवों में विकास परियोजनाओं के लिए ग्राम सभा की अनुमति होगी जरूरी
Down to Earth | Vivek Mishra | July 30, 2019
आंध्र प्रदेश उच्च न्यायालय ने केंद्रीय वन एवं पर्यावरण मंत्रालय की उस अधिसूचना को रद्द कर दिया है, जिसमें कहा गया था कि लीनियर प्रोजेक्ट में ग्राम सभा के मंजूरी की जरूरत नहीं होगी।
करीब छह साल बाद ग्राम सभा को अपनी खोई हुई ताकत वापस मिल गई है। गांव में आर्थिक और सामाजिक विकास वाली योजना और परियोजनाओं को जमीन पर उतारने के लिए पहले ग्राम सभा की मंजूरी लेनी होगी। आंध्र प्रदेश उच्च न्यायालय ने केंद्रीय वन एवं पर्यावरण मंत्रालय की ओर से जारी की गई उस अधिसूचना को रद्द कर दिया है, जिसमें ग्राम सभा की भूमिका को कम करते हुए विकास परियोजनाओं और कार्यक्रमों के लिए जमीन अधिग्रहण व लैंड यूज में बदलाव जैसी गतिविधि में ग्राम सभा से मंजूरी लेने की शर्त को खत्म कर दिया गया था। यह अधिसूचना 5 फरवरी, 2013 को जारी की गई थी। (more…)
- Published in News, Samata in News
None of India’s ministries, departments have mining children on the radar: MPs told
Counterview.net | July 22, 2019
By Our Representative
A delegation of two civil rights groups, Samata and mines, minerals and People (mm&P), has impressed upon several of India’s members of Parliament (MPs) to discuss and raise issues relating to illegal mining, the Samata judgment, children in the mining areas and the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) in Parliament, adding, the issue of involvement of gram sabhas in decision making ought to be central for allowing any new projects in forest areas.
The delegation — consisting of mm&P’s Ravi Rebbapragada (chairperson), Ashok Shimali (secretary general), Deme Oram, Mukesh Birua, Raju Pandara, Shivkumar malagi, and Swaraj Das; and Samata’s Mithun Raj, BP Yadav and Sree Harica — told Kirodilal Meena, MP, Rajasthan, about the need to implement the Samata Judgment in letter and spirit in Rajasthan. (more…)
- Published in News, Samata in News
NGO takes up tourist guides’ issue with Collector
The Hindu | July 13, 2019
‘They are neither regularised nor given share in income’
Rebbapragada Ravi, founder of Samata, an NGO, met District Collector Vinay Chand on Friday and represented the long-pending case of the tourist guides of Borra Caves.
The tourist guides at the million-year-old Borra Caves, which is one among the most sought after tourist destinations, are in dire straits. They have been fighting a battle with the authorities concerned over regularisation of their employment, since last two decades.
About 20 guides, were recruited by the Tourism Department in 1993, on temporary daily wage basis, with promise of regularising them in a short time. (more…)
- Published in News, Samata in News