ANTI-POSCO MOVEMENT – A SATYAGRAHA

Anti-POSCO Movement – A Satyagraha

A way to a system of harmony

Today, in the whole world, the system of old age capitalism and neo-imperialism stands on the bedrock of temptation, fear and violence. Those, who are against this system and try to bring a revolutionary change in it; they also follow the same track. This is the major tragedy in all the revolutionary struggles because the fundamental theory based on negative elements is equal on both sides. So, the problem is turning into critical day by day instead of solution.

In this respect, anti-POSCO Movement continuing in Orissa by Navnirman Samiti (YUVA BHARAT)  is a constructive movement. It teaches the values of unselfishness fearlessness and non-violence (love) instead of temptation, terror and violence respectively. We consider, since there is a harmonious continuous relationship between men, society and ecology; there will be a enormous loss of the individual by the destruction of the society, ecology and its culture. So, we are leading the anti-POSCO Movement in preparing a patriotic, nature loving cultural peoples consciousness in the objective of uprooting POSCO out of this Indian soil to protect the freedom as well as the sovereignty of our mother India  and to close  the chapter of the exploitation of the society, ecology and culture. It is not only temptation propelled narrowed anti-displacement movement, but it is a cultural value based movement in the wider sense. It educates the people to be fearless and truthfulness as a result the opponents as well as the society is influenced by these values.

This movement continues to apply the way of love and (non-violence) to change the heart of the opponents instead of hate and violence through service, sacrifice and self suffering. For which after much affliction like beating, assault from opponents, we never react for it. Because, they may be our opponents having different views; but they are our brothers and sisters being integral part of us. Any ill will towards our opponents will harm ourselves, it is our firm conviction. Therefore, it is an ideological stand for us not putting FIR at police station. Because, taking the help from that state run institution, such that police and court that strengthens the capitalist imperialist fascist system is to recognize the system based on fear, terror exploitation and violence. So, not frightening the opponent either through state violence or through any kind of violence sticking to the principle of truthfulness, winning the heart by self-suffering and service to protect the harmony of ecology and culture and at last to save the freedom of the Nation is our basic objective. For that, during last two years of people’s movement, we have accepted the assault, inconveniences, beatings as blessing for us to change the opponents opinions.

Here, ‘means’ is more important than the ‘ends’. We have firm conviction that if we stick to “means”, ‘ends’ will be achieved in its our way. For us ‘ends’ is the change of the system. Anti-POSCO Movement is an issue of instrument before us. If the seed of the values of right means are sown, automatically It will give the fruit of the change in the system of imperialism to bring a system of harmony. Otherwise, the negative means may change the present system of imperialism by inviting a new form of imperialism or fascism, which is more dangerous than the present one? So, let us conclude here that right means will lead the right ends.

The brief report regarding the anti-posco movement

In the past, at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the East India Company of England came to the soil of India for the purpose of business. But they ruled over us 190 years with the cut throat loot of our wealth. Many revolutionary youths became the martyrs to liberate Mother India from the bondage of slavery. Our mother India got her political independence by the dedication of Baji Rout, Laxman Nayak, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Uddam Singh, Chandra Sekhar Azhad, Netaji, Rani Laxmi Bai, Tilak, Gopabandhu and Gandhiji etc. But within more than half century of independence passed, again our independence is in danger. The soil of India is under the attack of foreign conspiracy. Again a multinational company named as POSCO (Pohang Steel Company) is coming to Indian soil in the name of development and LPG (Liberalization, Privatization, Globalization). Under the agreement of WTO as the East India Company had ruled in the name of civilization. POSCO is the face of destruction, slavery and exploitation. The negative Impact of POSCO as follows :-

1.      For the first time after the independence of India, POSCO has been given the permission to construct its private port. As in the seventeenth century East India Company was given three private village (Kothi) by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and captured and ruled all over the country. Again POSCO is coming into India with all the conspiracy and strategic planning to root out our political independence by bringing the army, arms and ammunitions through its private port in the direction of England and America under the umbrella of WTO. (World Trade organization). Bank of New York is the largest share holder of POSCO Company, so this presumption is not baseless.

2.      The greatest mining resource of Iron, Bauxite, Chromate, Coal etc. of Asia continent lies in these three states Orissa, Chhatisgarh and jharkhand of India.  So if POSCO sets up its plant at Paradeep with the private port, it will exploit & extract all the mineral resources of all these three states in the coming 20/30 years.

3.      If POSCO will set up its private port at Paradeep, the recent Paradeep port will face a cut throat competition and according to the geographical situation, there is possibility of submerging of the recent port into the Bay of Bengal.

4.      By setting of the POSCO plant at Paradeep there will be a displacement of 30,000 people directly from three panchayats i.e. Nuagaon, Dhinkia, Gadakujanga of Erasama block and more than 1 lakh people will be displaced indirectly in the slow process.

5.      POSCO will extract near about 15,000 to 18,000 crores liters of water from zobra and naraj Barrage of river Mohanadi, as a result the farmers irrigating the lands by the canals of taladanda, Machhagaon, Birupa of Cuttack, jagatasinghpur, and Kendrapara district will suffer a great loss.

6.      The company will take 8000 acres of land directly and 20000 acres of cultivated land will be affected indirectly. Side by side, the central Govt. has given the permission to POSCO to give the mining lease of Khandadhara hills of tribal area in Sundargarh district.

7.      The people of the displaced areas of the plant are living a prosperous life with the cultivation or betel vines, rice, fish, cashewnuts, coconuts and earn more than 5 crore rupees per year. They will loss everything and their society will be wiped out. The Govt. is telling to rehabilitate them. But those people had been displaced in the Hirakud, Nalco, Rourkela projects, they have not been rehabilitated till yet.

8.      Since Orissa Govt. is not selling the iron ore in international rate, it will be the looser of 1,32,000 crores rupees directly (when the international rate of the iron ore per ton is Rs.2600/-, POSCO will give the royality of Rs.26/- to the state Govt.).

9.      Since POSCO will be provided the Special Economic Zone, Govt. of India will lose a lot of revenue by subsidizing the taxes & due to special economic zone India will loss its sovereignty.

10.    POSCO will disturb the ecological balance of Paradeep, Kujanga and Erasama area of Jagatsinghpur district. The temperature of that area will increase and that may welcome the cyclone into the area. (as you know a super cyclone of 1999 had devastated this district earlier and more than 10,000 people died directly at one night here at Earasama block at oceanic cyclone)

11.    As per a survey done by Navnirman Samiti Research Unit that the total national loss will be 2,94,135 Crores rupees due to POSCO. (According to the present rate of calculation)

12.    POSCO will invite all kind of immoral activities i.e. the drugs, liquors and all criminal elements as these are the side effects of the heavy industrialization.

So POSCO will welcome another slavery of the Indian Soil. But since our govt. has singed the MoU of POSCO that is anti-development and anti-people; so we have started fighting against POSCO by organizing the public opinion to protect our soil and mother India.

Programmes :

As you know that, the anti-POSCO movement is continuing here in orissa by the collective initiative of YUVA BHARAT (Navnirman Samiti) in the non-violent way since last more than three years after the MoU sign on 22^nd June’2005 between the Govt. of Orissa and POSCO Authority. Of course, there is another Anti-POSCO group named as POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti led by Mr. Abhaya Sahoo, President of PPSS and State Central Committee Member of CPI. After concentrating in the field area more than three months, we conducted a detailed survey. Then on 3^rd or 4^th of September’05 we took a youth camp where 40 youths had participated. Then we took a Padayatra by the name of “Deshpremi Abhiyan” from 18^th October to 29^th October’05 from  Gadakujanga, Erasama to Bhubaneswar (200 Km’s) as an Anti-POSCO campaign in Orissa to mobilize the public opinion to root out it from the Indian soil. One cycle rally against Imperialism of POSCO & anti liquor drive had been organized in the Cuttack district from 6^th November to 13^th November 2005.

Then, when the first survey notice of land acquiring process was given through local R.I Office, we took an indefinite demonstration (resisting the land acquiring process of POSCO through revenue department) from 27^th December’05 to 15^th of February’06 in front of R.I. Office of Nuagaon Grama panchayat of the projected area of POSCO plant to be set up. On 15^th of February’06 one of our activists Mr. Akshaya kumar, National Convenor of YUVA BHARAT continued fasting up to 22^nd February’06. Many eminent personalities such that Ex-Speaker of Lokasabha Mr. Ravi Ray, President of All India Sarva Seva Sangh Shri Amar Nath Bhai & The Leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan & the Convenor of NAPM, Medha Patekar had come in support of this demonstration against POSCO. Then on the same day of 22^nd February’06 three thousand people came in front of the R.I. Office and locked the office.

When Govt. started its campaign of advocacy of Posco in the name of development through news paper advertisements and audio play programmes, peoples movement challenged it. (a) The play ‘the dream became true’ was continuing three days in a week in all India radio was stopped by peoples demonstration in cuttack on 12^th September,2007. (b)  POSCO ! the symbol of development or devastation on this question we demonstrated in front of governor house by inviting the chief minister of Orissa, Naveen Pattnaik for an open debate. After demonstration of 7 days, the Chief Minister did not respond. Akshaya Kumar, National Convenor of YUVA BHARAT and Narahari Mantri (villager of projected area, aged 69) started indefinite fasting. In this period many eminent social personalities such that eminent journalist & Human Right Activist Shri Kuldeep Nayar, Veteran Socialist Leader Shri Surendra Mohan, Ex-Speaker of Lokasabha Mr. Ravi Ray, President of All India Sarva Seva Sangh Shri Amar Nath Bhai & The Leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan & the Convenor of NAPM, Medha Patekar and other national level social activists had come in support of this demonstration against POSCO inviting an open debate to Chief Minister. But the flattener of companies Naveen Pattnaik did not respond to this Satyagraha. So on 15^th October People launched rally by breaking 144 area & demonstrated in front of Naveen Niwas & took resolve not to allow to enter into proposed area to POSCO officers and Chief Minister.

The alternative legislative assembly was organized from 1^st to 7^th March’07 to coordinate all the people’s movement of Orissa and to decide the alternative development policy for Orissa.

All the political parties want to rectify the MoU and to shift the POSCO plant from one place to another, but our stand is totally different. Since the struggle against POSCO is a struggle against imperialism and WTO, so we want to wipe out POSCO from India by canceling the MoU has been signed between Govt. of Orissa & POSCO.

The 2^nd Phase of Anti-POSCO Movement: The despicable step of POSCO

When Prime Minister told that POSCO should talk with the land owners directly to occupy the land for SEZ. POSCO tried to use its money and muscle power to occupy the land. After the declaration of Prime Minister the activist of YUVA BHARAT  were attacked severely 19^th & 20^th May’07. Among them, Umakant Bharat & Rasmi Ranjan Swain had been seriously injured in their chest and ear. Because, we exposed the truth that POSCO will take other 10 panchayats excluding three panchayats such that Nuagaon, Dhinkia, Gadakujanga. After the agents of POSCO & Gunda attacked us, people had rushed into the spot to take the violent action against them. But, we controlled it with patent and intelligence. As a result, the joint strategy of the Govt. bureaucracy with POSCO failed for the entry of the police forces into that area.

After that, we came to know that POSCO got the environmental clearance of the projected area of the steel plant to be set up without a proper people hearing according to its provision. So, on 22^nd June’07 (which is the MoU date of POSCO, we observed as “The Endangered Day of Independence”). We took the gerao of the State Pollution Control Board Office in Bhubaneswar & challenged the justification of environmental clearance. After that on the same ground, the Committee of Supreme Court has objected that environmental clearance can be permitted with the total clearance of the mining area will be taken on lease.

When Prime Minister told that any company of the world can talk directly with the land owners to take the lands for the SEZ (Special Economic Zone) project, we took it a challenge. On 15^th October’07 we had organized a public meeting at Kanipada, Erasama by giving the call “POSCO Quit India”- for a 3^rd Freedom Struggle. The family members of Netaji Subhash Bose, Raghu Dibakar, Baji Rout etc. had come with their birth place soil into this meeting. People took the oath not to invite the bondage of slavery of the multi nationals through SEZ policy again. In this meeting, Mrs Chitra Ghosh, nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Prof. & Research Scholar of Mukherji Commission on Netaji, Dr. Purabi Roy & Founders of Yuva Bharat Dr. Rakesh Refique, Mr. Rajeev & Mr. Ashok Bharat had participated. Revolutionary cultural group “PRATIDHWANI” of Delhi had performed their play in it.

On 29^th November’07, again, anti-POSCO activists were seriously injured by bomb attacks and tents were fired in Balitutha where they had prepared the gate to ban the entry of the Govt. officials, POSCO Officials & police into their area. Then Govt. declared it as disturbed area & police got the chance to enter into that area. After this incident, we took a different strategy of peace process to counter the gunda and police force of the state. Among us National Convenor, RYS, Dr. Biswajit Roy, & the famous poet and activist of Orissa, Sailej Rabi went to continue the fasting for peace on 4^th December’07. But, they were also attacked and driven out of the place                                                                  and the Gandhi photo with them had been broken. Then Dr. Biswajit continue his fast infront of Collector office of Jagatsinghpur District. Then the convenor of NAPM & the Leader of NBA Medha Patekar, founder of YUVA BHARAT Rakesh Refique, founder of Rastriya Yuva Sangathan Mr. Kumar Prasant & President of Bharat Jana Andolan Dr. B.D. Sharma had come to visit the area by supporting the peace process to break the silence and fear-psychosis of the people. Finally, ex-justice of Orissa High Court, Choudhury P.K. Mishra with the team of peace loving people at the guidance of veteran freedom fighter & Sarvodaya worker Annapurna Moharana met the Governor of Orissa regarding this issue. Governor assured them for the investigation and Justice Mishra with Annapurna Moharana requested us to break the fasting of Biswajit.& assured us to take the peace process forward with all the civil society of Orissa. Afterwards Dr. Biswajit broke the fast. This programme brought a positive result to the movement, when Govt. & bureaucracy tried to declared the movement guided by naxlites. But, our Gandhian non-violence strategy of fasting & intervention by Medha Patekar and other civil liberty peoples save the movement from conspiracy of the Govt. to declare it into naxal base.

After a long gap of more than two years Govt. tried to start the survey work of land acquiring process in the projected area on 8^th Feb’08, but couldn’t complete with a lot of resistance of the local people. On 1^st April, 2008 local people broke the barricade of 144 area in Balitutha and public meeting was held. The on 20^th April, 2008 people fired the Xerox copies of the package declaration written in the plain paper in every village & meeting was conducted. On 21^st April, 2008, the Goons of POSCO attacked our activist Dr. Biswajit Roy, National Convenor, Rastriya Yuva Sangathan and he injured severely. The bleeding was continuing from his nose and the brutal attack on his eye, but fortunately the eye was saved. Now, the FIR has been lodged in Erasama police station for the first time after the 8 times of attack in the different times within the period of POSCO movement and we have asked for the arrest of the culprits.

Now we are closely watching the ongoing situation and further step of government. Though the final decession is now pending at the MoEF but people are always ready to fight against demon POSCO and Odisha government who is acting as the chamcha of Posco. Presently Navnirman Samiti is continuing the Kishan Movement on the issues of price, pension and prestige.  

Therefore, we appeal all the friends, social activists, mass organizations, pro-people political parties, intellectuals and others to co-operate in this programme to protect the sovereignty of the nation and the exploitation of the common man.

Remain here.

With best of love & respect

                                                                              Yours sincerely

Akshaya kumar YUVA BHARAT(Navnirman Samiti) Plot No.849/5051, Talasahi, Patia, Bhubaneswar, Orissa-751031 Ph. : 0674-3206874, 09937427611,09938543661 Email : yuva.bharat@rediffmail.com, navnirmansamiti@gmail.com