The villagers drew their strength from the 73rd amendment of the Constitution that empowers the gram sabha — a gathering of all adults — to take collective decisions on behalf of villagers.
On August 25, farmers of Gare village, Chhattisgarh, took an unprecedented step and passed a resolution to create their own mining firm and take on the rapacious companies exploiting their lands.
The villagers drew their strength from the 73rd amendment of the Constitution that empowers the gram sabha — a gathering of all adults — to take collective decisions on behalf of villagers.
The resolution to form their own firm is the fallout of a five-year battle with Congress MP Naveen Jindal’s mining firm, Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), that was trying to start operations in the area. According to the law, the right to use land belonging to a village vests with the gram sabha. After battling JSPL, the gram sabha decided to go a step further and mine the land for coal.
The matter had reached the Green Tribunal, which cancelled the environmental clearance given to JSPL and pulled up the ministry for environment and forests for not following the “proper procedure”.
It ruled that the public hearing was a farce and it is “a classic example of violation of rules and principles of natural justice”. JSPL operates the largest coal-based sponge iron plant in the world and claims to be one of India’s major steel producers.
During their five-year struggle, many farmers and activists were beaten up and some were even jailed.
“We decided to form our own company to mine coal from our land. A resolution was passed in the gram sabha with everyone’s consensus last month. Fifteen of us will get PAN cards, which would enable us to register the company,” Harihar Patel of Gare village said on the phone. Scheduled tribes form a major chunk of Gare and nearby villages.
“Compared to the value of coal under our land, we were getting a pittance from the company. But by mining coal ourselves, we will continue to own the land as well as earn revenue. We will be happy to pay any royalty to the government,” Patel said. The villagers have prepared a ecological map to reclaim the land once mining is complete.
As per Chhattisgarh government’s estimates, the state has 16% of the total coal deposits in India and ranks second in coal production by contributing over 18% to the national production. Most of the coal deposits in the state are of power grade coal.
The villagers are aware that they have an uphill task ahead of them. They need a massive capital investment, technical, and professional expertise if they hope to make a success of their landmark resolution.
But many like social activist Rajesh Tripathi, who was jailed while protesting against JSPL, are optimistic. “If banks can give loans to private companies, a farmer’s company too should be eligible,” Tripathi said.
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