Chhattisgarh tribals protesting Tata plant arrested
Nov 23, 2006 - 9:11:37 PM
, Reviewed by: Priya Saxena
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The government had recently said that a relief and rehabilitation package for 10 Bastar villages that agreed to hand over land to Tata Steel was in the final stages.
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By RxPG News Service,
[RxPG] Raipur, Nov 23 (IANS) Twenty-seven tribal villagers were arrested in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district for protesting against Tata Steel's proposed five-million-tonne per annum steel plant, a police official said Thursday.
'We have arrested 27 villagers of Sirisgura village on charges of indulging in a violent protest against Tata Steel and injuring dozens of fellow villagers who support the construction,' Bastar district police chief G.P. Singh told IANS over telephone.
On Tuesday, police deployment in the village was beefed up in view of the protests. It was strengthened further Thursday after the Communist Party of India (CPI) joined in opposing Tata's factory, which they allege is a bid to grab tribal land.
'Some people are deliberately stoking up tension and opposing Tata Steel's proposed plant. The situation is very tense,' G.P. Singh said.
Sirisgura is one of 10 villages in Lohandiguda block in mineral-rich Bastar region, 330 km south of Raipur, where Tata Steel, India's largest private sector steel maker, has selected 4,500 acres of land to set up its steel plant and township with Rs.100 billion investment.
'Police have been assaulting protesters, even women members, and dozens have been injured in police action during the past three days. The police can't suppress the voice of the protesters,' a prominent CPI leader Manish Kunjam told IANS.
The villagers are determined to stop the company from 'grabbing' the land of innocent tribal families, he said.
The Chhattisgarh government and Tata Steel signed a deal in June last year for the plant.
The government had recently said that a relief and rehabilitation package for 10 Bastar villages that agreed to hand over land to Tata Steel was in the final stages.
Last month, Chhattisgarh said it would recommend to the central government to grant lease to Tata Steel to excavate 150 million tonnes of iron ore in Bastar's Bailadila mines for its upcoming plant.
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