Adivasi's struggle for Niyamgiri: -A Study

Abstract

The rapid development of technology in the 20th century has transformed mines into large industrial facilities. Big companies exploiting open-pit mines rarely pay attention to the situation of local communities. The internationalization of capital flow, along with the exploration and extraction of minerals by transnational corporations, make it difficult to determine who is really responsible for the social problems triggered by mining. Mining-induced displacement and resettlement is primarily an economic issue associated with loss or significant reduction of access to basic resources on which communities depend. Physical abandonment of the existing residences, therefore, secondary to the loss of access to material resources such as land, pastures, forests and clean water as well as intangible resources such as socio-economic ties. This is evident from the fact that the government has no data about the actual number of the people displaced as a consequence of the various development projects like Hydroelectric and Irrigation Projects, mines (especially open-cast mines), Super-Thermal and Nuclear-Power Plants, Industrial Complexes etc. Niyamgiri hills, the abode of the primitive Dongria Kandha tribe in southwest Orissa is a unique forest ecosystem harbouring a rich flora and vast natural resources. This article highlights the timeline of the Dongria Kondh tribe's struggle against the mining giant, Vedanta. Starting from the appearance of Vedanta in Odisha and concluding with the present situation of the conflict, it illustrates the sacrosanct relationship between the Niyamgiri forests and the Dongria Kondh and the devastating impact the mining activities would have, not only on the environment, but also on the Dongria Kondh.