On June 5th this year,
people from all around the world showed their solidarity for necessary
environment interventions by celebrating the World Environment Day. As individuals, we might think
that our efforts don't get due recognition or is not making any
significant impact towards the cause. But what about the power of the
collective? When people join hands and help each other, that’s when it
outshines the mere objective of just ‘caring’ about a cause.
In such an example, Vedanta, in
its solemn effort to contribute towards the cause planted 4500 saplings in
Lanjigarh and Jharsuguda – the places of their operations in Odisha. Since the
past 13 years, it has made a conscious effort to be responsible for caring and
nurturing the environment of which it is also a part of. Local communities,
fauna & flora, water bodies and other entities which constitutes the
biodiversity of the region have always been recognised and respected by the
company. Awareness camps, environment and sanitation sensitization, importance
of clean drinking water, safe garbage disposal etc. are only a few initiatives
that it has practiced since its inception. After all, achieving zero malarial
deaths and zero diarrhoea outbursts in the region for the past 3 years is no mean
feat. The company doesn’t work unaided and relies on local diaspora of village
folks, community members and resident tribes to make a change it has sought.
Vedanta has been carrying on its
industries in remote parts of Western Odisha with nothing but the support of
people who see it as a positive intervention for access to life supporting amenities.
It has been 69 years since Western Odisha struggling with penury. The region is
wrought with starvation deaths, migrant labour atrocities, child selling and
other social evils as a result. With industrialization, came a mandatory
Corporate Social Responsibility as a compliance for Vedanta. It identified its purpose
for development as empowerment of the people from the backwards and remotest of
areas in gaining access to healthcare, healthy food and clean water, education,
civic amenities and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
In 13 years, compliance became a
mandatory obligation but to improve the plight of the generation yet to come
became a mission for Vedanta. However this ambition of prosperity has been
often marred by the objection of people who have never before come forward to
help in the troubling times of the people of this region.
Kalahandi district is still one
of the poorest districts in India. Its richness in mineral resources is immense
and so is the self-reliant potential for collective progress. The Government of
Odisha has been making constant efforts to alleviate poverty and pave a path
for sustainable development. The word ‘sustainable’ is important because it
requires the participation of the people for whom this development work is
being undertaken. Vedanta has partnered with the government and credible NGOs to fulfill the mission of the right to development of the region. It has
constructed a state-of-the-art hospital, educational institutes, rehabilitation
colonies and other civic infrastructure in the region.
Yet, the paid voices of dissent have sedated the pace of development. The detractors have never contributed
towards a better future of the locals and led a charade even overlooking the
good that is visible in the area. Finding a perfect opportunity of World Environment
Day to launch a blow against Vedanta, they have tried to garner unfavourable
public support against the company with the participation of high profile
activists like Medha Patkar et al. For the people far from the ground
realities, opinions are always easy to form as per convenience.
But on the ground, there are
people who have seen the evident development in and around Lanjigarh and the
social transformation that has enriched their lives. If there were rallies
against the company’s presence, there were also voices in support. People from
the villages of Biswanathpur, Chhatrapur and the Niyamgiri Vedanta
Rehabilitation Colony criticised the staged protests by calling it
anti-development and regressive. “These people never once came forward when we were dying of starvation and diseases and now they want to stop a company which has given us healthy lives and a source of livelihood? They alone are not the only representatives of this region!” said Sridhara Pesnia from Lanjigarh village.
The cries of “Medha, Go Back!”
and “Save Vedanta” filled the air near Chhatrapur, revealing the frustrations of
the people who jeered at her and others when their vehicles passed the
gathering. “Why should outsiders come in and pollute the atmosphere? The have nothing to offer when it comes to jobs, education and healthcare and yet want to lure innocent tribals away from progress. We are competent to decide our own future and our life”, said Dandasi Majhi, tribal leader from Niyamgiri
Vedanta Nagar - created to offer rehabilitation to people who were displaced during
the plant’s construction.
(People came out streets and protested against the anti-development campaign staged by Medha Patkar in front of the Kalahandi Collectorate)
Amongst other pertinent issues,
the resentment of the villagers mainly arises from the fact that stopping
industrialization will stop their growth dead in the tracks. The impact on
2000+ employees and workers, downstream collaborators, entrepreneurs and
existing tribal folks around the plant will be devastating. It will stall the
transformation of the region which had once brought so many dreams to life.
Nobody wants this to happen, especially, when there can be constructive
solutions to benefit the development of the people and the region. Vedanta’s
commitment to conserve the environment and accommodate the warm people of the
region in its path to progress is resilient and so is its effort to making
their life better.
*The underlined words direct to a link.
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