Will my land become an ash dump? That’s Gadag’s query

Even as Gadag farmers resist land acquisition for the proposed steel plant by South Korean giant POSCO, participants at a talk heard how rules were bent in Orissa during the land acquisition for the POSCO plant there.

The state government had asserted that all the land to be acquired in Halligudi village in Gadag would be wasteland, and that those in the area would be ‘convinced’ about the project, estimated to bring in investment of Rs32,000 crore. The 3,300 acres identified for the project in the state, however, are fertile lands.

Leo Saldanha of the Environment Support Group, who had visited the project area in Orissa and written a report, Tearing through a water landscape, explained to those gathered at Centre for Informal Education and Developmental Studies on Thursday why the situation in Orissa ought to raise hackles.

Saldanha explained how rules were bent to acquire land in Orissa. Under the law, public hearings ought to be conducted ‘in the proximity’ of the project site. The word ‘proximity’ is relative, and the authorities hold such meetings more than 20 km away from the site. It’s near impossible for women to attend, and men stand to lose a day’s wages if they have to go so far.

The POSCO plant in Orissa has also sought a dedicated power plant, a captive port (even though the Paradip port is nearby) and a dedicated railway line to carry the ore to the coast. In all, it is estimated that over 6,000 acres of land would be taken over. The displacement could affect people who lived through the 1999 cyclone and experienced disaster once already.

There are many fishing communities in the vicinity of the proposed POSCO plant in Orissa, and their livelihood will take a drubbing. Also, the area is ecologically sensitive, a nesting site for the endangered Olive Ridley turtles. Betel leaf vines cultivated in the area sell at Re1 per leaf, and provide a stable income to many families.

“Why should my fertile land make way for an ash dump?” ask farmers. It is estimated that the steel plant would need nearly 1,000 acres to dump ash. This question is now being asked by Gadag farmers.