Participants in the Mahasamavesh, organised to mark the second anniversary of the police firing in Kalinganagar, in Orissa, where 13 tribals lost their lives while opposing construction of a wall for the proposed Tata steel project, vowed to continue their struggle to protect their land and livelihood sources

Thousands of tribals from Kalinganagar in Orissa and those opposed to the setting up of special economic zones (SEZs), industry and mining projects in various parts of the state pledged to continue their agitation against project-induced displacement at a rally on January 2.

Participants in the Mahasamavesh, organised by the Bisthapan Virodhi Janmanch (People’s Forum Against Displacement) at Kalinganagar to mark the second anniversary of the police firing in the area, vowed to continue their struggle to protect their land and livelihood sources. Earlier, the tribals convened and marched from the site where 13 tribals were killed in police firing while opposing construction of a boundary wall for the proposed Tata steel project, on January 2, 2006.

Representatives from various organisations opposing the POSCO steel plant and captive port projects in Jagatsinghpur district, the Vedanta alumina refinery project in Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district, the Mittal steel project in Keonjhar and mining in the Khandadhar region took part in the meet.

Leaders of farmer movements against the diversion of water from the controversial Hirakud reservoir and representatives of those fighting the displacement of rural people from Nandigram and Singur in West Bengal also participated.

Participants addressing the rally strongly criticised the Special Economic Zone Act. They also expressed solidarity with the anti-POSCO agitation and demanded that the Orissa state government stop facilitating the South Korean company’s steel project for land located in Dhinkia, Gadakujanga and Nuagaon gram panchayats of Jagatsinghpur district. They threatened to launch a countrywide agitation against both the state government and the Indian government if the project is not called off.

Leaders of the agitation called upon people to strengthen their resistance movements in every location where their land and livelihoods were being snatched away in the name of industrialisation, SEZs or any other project that was against the interests of the people.

Source: The Hindu, January 3, 2008
              PTI, January 2, 2008