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Concern over growing attacks on anti-displacement activists

BHUBANESWAR: Expressing concern over growing murderous attacks on people leading anti-displacement movements, as many as eight people’s organisation on Friday demanded that the Orissa Government should restore democracy in and around industrial zones coming up in the State.

The organisations came together and staged a huge demonstration along Mahatma Gandhi Marg in front of State Assembly here.

In a memorandum addressed to Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, they demanded, “companies like TATA and POSCO must be prevented from engaging criminals in the guise of contractors and supporters in the area.”

“When workers of the world were observing May Day on May 1, an innocent worker and supporter of anti-displacement movement of Kalingnagar Amin Banra was shot dead by hired goons of Tata company led by one Arbind Singh who has been active in the area for more than a year in the guise of contractor,” Prafulla Samantara of Lokshakti Abhijan alleged.

Radhakanta Sethi of CPI (ML) (Liberation) said “the Kalinganagar incidents have further raised one fundamental question, who own guns, who shots and who are becoming the victims.

Therefore, concrete steps must be taken to bring to task all those how are responsible for unleashing terror in such areas particularly on innocent protesters.”

They said, “the decision to be displaced or not to be displaced lies entirely with people targeted to be displaced.

If they don’t want to give up, nothing on earth should force them to leave their home, habitat and land.”

The leaders alleged that industrial projects were imposed on people without seeking their permissions and the companies were not hesitating to take laws into their hands with administration was posing as a silent spectator.

While people took to the streets venting their ire against projects, both Union government and Orissa government on Friday exuded confidence on early start of mega projects including of TATA’s and POSCO’s.

At the secretariat, a few metres away from the place of demonstration, progress of eight mega steel projects were reviewed.

Union Steel Secretary R S Pandey said everybody including the Government, local people and the company would have to co-operate in this matter. People should be taken into confidence, he said.

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