Orissa tribals protest industries on their land

deepikaglobal.com,Dec 13,2007

Bhubaneswar, Dec 11 (UNI) Hundreds of tribals under the banner of ''Bisthapan Birodhi Janabikash Andolan''(BBJA) today staged a mass dharna before the Orissa Assembly protesting setting up of industries on their land.The demonstrators who included the tribal leaders from Kashipur, Kalinga Nagar and Niyamgiri in Kalahandi besides the leaders protesting the POSCO and Vedant projects, demanded cancellation of all MoUs for setting up of industries and opposed the release of water to the industrial houses from Hirakud Dam.They also demanded immediate withdrawal of police force from the POSCO project site in Jagatsinghopur district and scrapping off Vedant University project by the Anil Agarwal Foundation on the Puri-Konark marine drive area.The tribals came down heavily on the BJD-BJP led Naveen Patnaik government for branding the anti-POSCO agitators as Maoists to give a colour to the democratic movement against the South Korea steel major POSCO's proposed 12 MTPA steel plant in Paradeep.The demonstrators threatened to launch a statewide agitation if the state government attempted to use force to displace the people from their land for setting up of industries and accused Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of supressing the democratic and constitutional rights of the people at the behest of industrial houses.Among others BBJA convenor Ram Chandra Sahu, Kalinga Nagar Bisthapan Birodhi Manch leader Chakradhar Haibru,Niyamgiri Suraklhya Parishad leader Lingaraj Azad, Kashipur Banchao Prakrutik Sampad Surakhya Parishad leader Bhagban Majhi Balipal Jana Andolon leader Arun Jena, Gandhamardhan Banchao Andolon leader Milton Toppo called upon the tribals to continue their struggle against the anti people policy of the state government.