New facets of social engineering have manifested themselves in Odisha. land acquisition, relocation and rehabilitation have been the chronic problems of mining operations and other industrial activities.
In a recent case, in Mashasahi under Sukinda block in Jajpur district, villagers demanded meaningful alternative land for expansion of the mining project. The villagers have asserted that compensation would be further discussed after relocation is completed. It was on April 24 that the residents of Mashasahi met the Collector and demanded land with permanent patta along with compensation so as to enable them to vacate their ancestral land for expansion of the mining industry. After a series of discussions among the villagers and representatives of the company, there has been apparently unanimity among the parties. At the first instance, the company has put up notices in the village asking the villagers to leave the area for expansion of the project. A handful of people left the village after receiving meagre compensation and complained of being tortured by company officials. Initially, the company was hesitant to yield to the demands of the villagers, but finally the company appears to have agreed to the demands at a tripartite meeting last week. It appears that the land losers would receive separate compensation in terms of the Government’s rehabilitation policy but would first be relocated with adequate pattas for their land.
The new land Acquisition Act brings about radical changes in the norms and conditionalities for land acquisition. The 1894 Act has been replaced by the 1914 Act. As, at present, environment impact study is a condition precedent for selection of the land, the modalities of compensation and rehabilitation have been fine-tuned under the new Act. Forest dwellers have protected rights under a separate Act. Under the new scheme of things, the Palli Sabhas have a very crucial role in clearing projects and giving their concurrence for approval. In this scenario, the modalities of land acquisition have metamorphosed. The very same tribals and villagers are conscious of their rights and are willing to raise their voice and demand their share in the overall prosperity. Events such as at Mashasahi are the outcome of the snowballing effect of deprivation and denials. The average village folk are now more conscious of their rights not to be steamrolled. This trend has led to the present demands, which are reasonable, practical and efficacious. These are happy indicators, shifting of the spotlight to an area of darkness. Industrialists may complain regarding the increasing aspirations of the village folk and agriculturists, but the norms of social justice did call for a radical shift in the social engineering so as to make the village folk more conscious of their rights. These are welcome trends and should not be frowned upon. These are manifestation of the sufferings of the displaced and deprived, and this arena deserves intense attention. Money power should be more sensitive and should collaborate in an overall development of the society in a planned manner.
While the deprived in the villages assert their rights in the above manner, Odisha faces drinking water crisis in most areas, whether urban or rural. To give an instance, in Keonjhar district’s Harichandanpur, the crisis is acute as people are compelled to drink contaminated water from pits. Cities have similar maladies of non-availability of safe drinking water. Jaundice, typhoid and other water-borne diseases have raised their ugly heads in a cruel manner. In many areas, which have so-called urban piped water supply, water runs below the drains without adequate protective measures. Contamination of piped water supply is, therefore, rampant in the midst of the boiling summer. After 70 years of Independence, we are yet to have safe drinking water facilities in our State. This is an elementary requirement and requires focussed attention.
Similar is the situation in availability of electricity in most areas. For instance, in Mayurbhanj district under Shyamakhunta block, residents of Karanjia village do not have the luxury of electricity in their areas. The villagers complain that they do not have any electricity supply. They have to take shelter under the shade of trees. After sundown, oil lamps are the only option for them. The Government had undertaken steps towards electrifying villages with special emphasis on BPl households under the rural electrification drive of 2012.
In the Karanjia area, only meters and switchboards survived in a defunct manner in the last few years, and repeated attempts by the villagers to attract the attention of the authorities to this chronic malady has yielded no result. It is sad to learn that they are accustomed to living in darkness and their children have to study under the oil lamps. Sufficient quantity of subsidised kerosene is not available to them. The local Sub-Divisional Officer holds out the promise that the villages will be provided electricity under the new Deendayal Upadhayay Gram Jyoti Yojana. A nearby tourist bungalow enjoys electricity, and the resident villagers are denied that facility. These are indicative of lack of concern and lack of adequate involvement on the part of the authorities and the people.
The youth power in the rural and backward areas has to focus their attention and be involved in eradicating these maladies in their immediate environ. They can very well cause radical changes so as to bring about a structural alteration in the social edifice. But to cause these changes the involvement of one and all is required. The involvement has to be more on the part of the youth force while the elders can play a guiding role.
Structural changes in the agro-rural sector are not easy to implement. They have to purposive and meaningful. Underemployment and unemployment have to be solved by analysing their causes to ensure implementation of the remedial measures. Remedies have to be tailored both for the short run and for the long run. From the micro level, we have to spread out to the macro level. Distress sale of agro products is a harmful trend and needs immediate remedial attention on a priority basis. Drought, floods and cyclones play hide-and-seek with the economic fate of the farmers. The urban elite continue to look down upon the rural poor irrespective of the fact that sustenance is facilitated by the exploited farming community.
India lives in its villages; and till we do not focus our attention for an “Antyoday” in the neglected rural areas, the fate of the society shall not move towards the better. But this requires an effective involvement on the part of all the sections of our society. Surely, this concerns us all!
(The writer, a Senior Advocate, is a former All India Service officer, a former diplomat, a former editor, a former President of Orissa High Court Bar Association and a former Advocate General of Odisha.)
(jayantdas@hotmail.com)