Hundreds of tribals of affected villages, protesting against iron ore mining in Rowghat mountains in Chhattisgarh, have blocked the road in village Khodgaon since Saturday night, and are sitting on a dharna. Bhilai Steel Plant received permission from the Environment Ministry on January 25, to mine 3 lakh tonnes per annum ore and transport it through roads.
But till date, no Gram Sabha of any affected village has given its consent to this mining project, thereby making the mines illegal. It may be recalled that only two weeks ago, on March 15, when BSP’s contractor Dev Mining Company started iron ore transportation by attempting to evacuate two truckloads of iron ore, the villagers got angry and ensured that the Tipper truck drivers emptied out their loads in the middle of the village Khodgaon.
At that time, the villagers had declared that this mining was illegal and tried to register an FIR against Dev Mining Company on the charge of theft of ore, and also under the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, but the police did not register it.
Villagers say that again some tipper trucks have clandestinely gone up the Rowghat mountains at night, taking advantage of the darkness. Thus, to stop this illegal mining, the villagers have been practically living on this road since Saturday night, cooking there, sleeping there and continuously guarding the road.
On the morning of Sunday, the villagers have also constructed a checkpoint on the road. People from many nearby villages have come out in support – Khodgaon, Khadkagaon, Binjali, Parlabhat, Khairabhat and other Rowghat mine affected villages are there at the spot.
It is pertinent to note that as per clause A(xxii) of Environment Clearance granted to the Company on 04.06.2009, all trucks are permitted to ply on these roads only during daytime, and any transportation during night is strictly prohibited.
The Company has also assured the Ministry of Environment several times that all transportation will be during day time. So not only is the mining completely illegal, the surreptitious attempts to ferry the trucks at night time directly flies in the face of the environmental clearance.
According to the villagers, the BSP company has been making many false promises to the villagers for many years, but is not fulfilling any of them. After the trees were felled in the mine area at the top of the hill, the loose soil had flown down during the rains, and surrounded the Khodgaon camp.
