Noted social activist Prafulla Samantara (65) was on Monday conferred with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for 2017 in San Francisco for his “historic 12-year legal battle that affirmed the indigenous Dongria Kondhs’ land rights and protected the Niyamgiri Hills (in Odisha) from a
massive, open-pit aluminum ore mine”.
Talking to The Pioneer before leaving for San Francisco, Samantara said that the fight continues as such violations are rampant considering that States are not prepared to accept the laws protecting rights of people.
The activist had taken up the cudgels on behalf of the tribe which considers the Niyamgiri Hills to be sacred and see themselves as its protectors. He joined the fight against Odisha State Mining Company (OMC), which in 2004 inked a pact with UK-based Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite, an aluminum ore, in the region.
Samantara had filed a petition in the Supreme Court to halt the mining activities stating that it not only violated people’s rights but was also a threat to the ecology.
In May last year, the Court rejected the OMC’s petition that sought to overturn the tribal council votes and to mine the bauxite as a sole venture. The company was forced to suspend plans to mine bauxite with the hills now again with the Dongria Kondhs.
“Even the same states that make legislation hardly implement them. The Forest Rights Act and PESA are clear that personal assets of the tribals cannot be transferred but still it is happening. They are being evicted,” he said.
He alleged that the public hearings and the environment impact assessment (EIA) process to clear projects were full of flaws. It should be conducted by the independent bodies with no vested interest, he said.
The Goldman Environmental Prize honours grassroot environmentalists, who undergo risks to their lives, to protect the environment and empower those who have most to lose from industrial projects threatening their traditional livelihood.