dynamicafrica:

Young activists in South Africa have been using cameras to document social and economic problems in their communities.

The photo club is designed to spread awareness in impoverished areas in the city of Johannesburg, which face high unemployment, crime and teenage pregnancy.

Their plan is to also spread the initiative to schools across the country, and get young people more involved in the movement.

Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa reports from Johannesburg.

Ramesh Gauns wins big as Delhi HC sets aside Union ministry’s environment clearance to Bicholim mine

2012-03-31

A victory against legalized illegal mining in the Delhi High Court is noteworthy. Tremors even stronger than the ones they cause in the mining belt must be hitting miners in Goa and elsewhere in the country. Ramesh Gauns an activist and resident of Sarvona in Vathadev village of Bicholim taluka took his fight to the Delhi High Court after the National Environmental Appellate Authority dismissed his appeal against a firm for undertaking mining activity at Sarvona. 

M/s Zantye & Co. Pvt. Ltd. holding the lease to mine the 72-hectare Sarvona Iron and Manganese Ore Mine, applied for renewal, and for a change of mining method which would increase their iron ore production to 0.302 million tons per year at their Sarvona mine. They were given clearance by the Central Ministry in 2007.

This clearance was challenged Gauns  before the National Environmental Appellate Authority saying that the environment impact assessment was faulty and there was strong opposition from the public, approval from the panchayat was not obtained, and pollution was being caused to the Bicholim river, aquifers and fields.The Appellate Authority dismissed his appeal. Gauns then approached the Delhi High Court against the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. 

The Delhi High Court agreed with Gauns’ argument that the Expert Appraisal Committee  (EAC) of the ministry did not take into consideration the objections of the locals. It merely said that the ‘issues raised by the public during the public hearing were taken note of by the EAC.The High Court set aside the clearance and noted that any fresh consideration of the project should be subject to the moratorium set by the Government of India on new mining proposals in the State.

While the case was being fought in Delhi, the Goa State Pollution Control Board, suspended operations in the Sarvona mine in May 2011. The suspension order against the Sarvona mine also directed the mine not to commence any mining or developmental activity at the site without obtaining valid consent to operate from the board as required under Section 21 of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

The suspension order against the Sarvona mine had been issued to Zantye & Co Pvt Ltd, Vasco da Gama, but the Sarvona mine has been now taken over by Trimurti Mining Services, a different management. 

The Mining and Industries Department, in a confidential note, demanded clarification or documentary evidence from M/s Trimurti Mining Services as to how they are the deemed owners and occupiers of mining lease, M/s Zantye & Co Pvt Ltd. 

This transfer of ownership issue was also raised by the MB Shah Commission that was investigating illegal mining in Goa. When Zantye and Co applied for the second renewal lease there was nothing on record to say that Trimurti Mining Services were the owners of the lease.

The mining department had received a letter on December 24, 2010 by M/s Trimurti Mining Services enclosing Form 1, notice for termination and appointment of mines manager and stating that they are the deemed owners and occupiers for the Sarvona iron and manganese ore mines of M/s Zantye & Co Pvt Ltd.

On January 11, 2011 another letter was received from M/s Zantye & Co Pvt Ltd enclosing Form 1 and stating that the mine was now owned by Mr Subramanian Ramasami. A resolution passed by the board of directors of the company was attached.

This was followed by another letter dated January 19 enclosing Form 1. The notice for appointment and termination of mines manager was signed by Mr Subramanian Ramasami as the owner of the said mine.

Transfer all done and dusted. Luckily the Delhi High Court thought otherwise

Beyond their importance as a historical document, there is something poignant about the fact that a man’s last words were respectfully recorded by his enemy.
 

 ”Comandante, I find you somewhat depressed,” Selich said. “Can you explain the reasons why I get this impression?”
 ”I’ve failed,” Che replied. “It’s all over, and that’s the reason why you see me in this state.” …
 ”Are you Cuban or Argentine?” asked Selich.
 ”I am Cuban, Argentine, Bolivian, Peruvian, Ecuadoran, etc …. You understand:’
 ”What made you decide-‘to operate in our country?”
 ”Can’t you see the state in which the peasants live?” asked Che. “They are almost like savages, living in a state of poverty that depresses the heart, having only one room in which to sleep and cook and no clothing to wear, abandoned like animals …”
 ”But the same thing happens in Cuba,” retorted Selich.
 ”No, that’s not true,” Che fired back. “I don’t deny that in Cuba poverty exists, but [at least] the peasants there have an illusion of progress, whereas the Bolivian lives without hope. Just as he is born, he dies, without ever seeing improvements in his human condition.”
 
 The CIA wanted Che alive, but perhaps their orders never reached the Cuban-born CIA agent Felix Rodriguez, in charge of supervising the operation. Che was executed the next day. To make it appear that their captive had been killed in battle, the executioner fired at his arms and legs. Then, as Che was writhing on the ground, “apparently biting one of his wrists in an effort to avoid crying out,” one last bullet entered his chest and filled his lungs with blood. Che’s body was flown to Vallegrande where it lay on view for a couple of days, observed by officials, journalists and townspeople. Selich and other officers stood at the head, posing for the photographer, before having the corpse “disappear” into a secret grave near the Vallegrande airstrip. 

Courtesy: Alberto Manguel, pp. 66-67, The Death of Che Guevara

Leasing Jungle and Mountains to the Companies

Adivasis (Indigenous People) today are getting destroyed

The people dwelling in the forest do not have rights over their forest, it’s all state property. From the jungle they collect resin, honey, kendu leaves, brooms, etc., but for all these items they never get a fair price, as dishonest traders cheat them. The precious minerals they dig out from underneath their land are appropriated by big, big companies. When the people who live in the lap of nature are forcibly evicted in the name of protecting wildlife and national parks, there’s nobody to speak for them.

BJP( The Hindu Supremacists Party) with splitting roar, declares that Adivasis are our brothers- our Vanbasi(forest dwelling) brothers.

Today Vanbasi youth Jual Oram is not only the leader of Adivasis, He also is the leader of the state of Odisha, BJP’S State President.

We have to give back the share of the Adivasis land, forest and the animals.

 Vote BJP- give the State a good leadership and protect the Adivasis interest.

(1998, Feb Advertisement in Odia newspaper)

Good Earth is a brand owned by Tata who is contested in Odisha. The CM is opening a hi-tech Police Station as a response of mitigating the backlash after 13 tribals were massacred in Kalingangar in Jan 2, 2006.

Outsourcing polluting based industries as an Environment load displacement to justify leakage has been the case of capitalism since IR.

“So… to make the emergence of global civil society feasible” in poor countries, we “have to bring a barrier by which the economies are… separated from the powerful economies” of the rich countries. So that peoples’ power over the means of subsistence of their own life is restored for them. Globally the “society disintegrates… as soon as the poor economies are integrated with the powerful economies” by their globalization. 

-Kishen Pattnayak in  World Social Forum, Mumbai seminar on Helsinki Process on 18.1. 2004

Here is the Financial Express report on Vedanta!! Wonder what you think about this above report published in Bikolpo Bicharo in 2001 much before the BALCO papers started to disappear from the Ministry of Mines record rooms!!

Govt stake of 49% in Balco to be retained: EGoM

New Delhi: The status quo regarding the government’s remaining 49% stake in aluminium maker Balco will be maintained for now, an empowered group of ministers (EGoM) has decided.

Vedanta Group firm Sterlite Industries holds a 51% stake in Balco. According to sources, Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 4 regarding the government’s residual stake.

In an EGoM meet on Tuesday, called to discuss the government’s response to a letter by Agarwal, it was decided that status quo will be maintained, a mines ministry official said. “The PM wanted the EGoM to approve the draft of the letter to be sent to Vedanta chief and the EGoM today approved it saying that the status quo will be maintained,” the official said.

Last year, the government had said that it would sell its residual stake in Balco at a much higher price, adding that the strategic sale of equity in Balco was done in “haste” in 2001. Sterlite had snapped up 51% stake in Balco for R551 crore in 2001.