Tikiri (Rayagada): The expansion of Utkal Alumina, a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group, at Tikiri under Kashipur block in Rayagada district, from 1.5 Million Tonne (MT) per annum to 2 MT brought no cheers to the locals on whose land the plant has been set up. However, the Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik was seen congratulating the Aditya Birla Group while inaugurating the capacity addition, saying, the plant has played a crucial role in the state’s progress.
To understand this apparent contradiction between the claims and the ground reality, this correspondent visited Tikiri. From what is visible there, it can be concluded that the company has been rather too lucky in hard-selling its story to the state government which seems very willing to buy whatever is thrown at it.
For instance, at Dimindi village which is 50 km from Rayagada town, it is shocking to see the pathetic condition of villagers. The hamlet shared its borders with the alumina plant’s boundary wall. The air is so very polluted here that from their shanties to each leaf on the trees to every movable and immovable object, all have a thick layer of dust on them.
A talk with Suresh Behera, a villager, revealed that Utkal Alumina had taken away his land—the only source of livelihood– and paid some small money but had promised them jobs in the plant as the principal allurement way back in 2009. However, the company has not honoured its own promises till 2021. On the contrary, it has repeatedly used force of private strong arms along with the police to silence villagers whenever they sought an audience with the company higher-ups. Behera flashed a company provided appointment letter of 2009 which has reneged on. Rupen Naik, a co-villager, echoed Behera’s reactions.
“Look at the appointment letter the company gave me in 2009. Since then I have been doing rounds of the plant. There is none to listen to my woes. At the time of acquiring our land, the company gave me money in two installments of Rs21,000 and Rs1 lakh. With this money can I buy one acre land here now?” Suresh asked. Private land in that locality was selling at four times the cost paid by the company. It was the job in return for land offer that was successfully used as bait by the company with these illiterate villagers.
“At first, we were reluctant to part with our lands. A village meeting was held where political leaders of almost all major political parties assured us that everything in our village would turn into gold. The Collector, tehsildar and other officials also sang the same song to dupe us,” Suresh said.
The company has acquired nearly 500 acres from Dimindi alone, promising the villagers a better life. They were assured of schools, street lights, safe drinking water and a modern amenities filled life. “I have learnt welding and gas cutting. Yet, I am jobless. Whenever we approach the company authorities, they tell us to go to ministers and politicians instead. All this while workers from outside this district and even this state were getting employed here, at the cost of locals” Rupen said.
The villagers said they had gone to Bhubaneswar and had staged a sit-in last year to protest against Utkal Alumina’s misdeeds and anti people policies in the backyards of this state. This act of agitating against the Birla company so unnerved the district administration that the Collector himself came over to their protest site at Bhubaneswar and called them back, promising their grievances would be immediately addressed. “Whenever we visited the company, asking for jobs, the company CEO and other officials drove us away, saying if we persist in our demand for jobs, they would slap false cases on us,” Rupen said with his voice choking. The villagers believed in these threats since they themselves observed how the district administration and especially the police were working as agents of Utkal Alumina. The company had also promised the villagers it would relocate them to a different location, away from the air and water pollution. It has reneged on this promise too.
Sarojini, another resident of Dimindi village, said they have used up whatever little money they received from the company in lieu of their family assets (land). “Money won’t last but the soil will be there forever. We feed our families and send our kids to schools by doing menial jobs like sweeping and working as maids,” said Sarojini biting from a cucumber with salt. She was joined by a bevy of 5-6 other women who nodded their assent.
To a question if they have raised the issues with any authorities, they replied, “We have sought the help of media. Reporters from 10 to 20 media houses have visited our homes at different times. But, sadly, none has published our stories.” The women emphatically stated that the company had paid and bought over these journalists in the same manner they have silenced the babus (government officials). Nothing has changed for us. But those who have come here from outside live like kings, they said.
By the time this reporter left the village, the contradiction in the claims and reality had already been unravelled. The Aditya Birla plant in this tribal-dominated region has done much harm to the local populace. What it has achieved for the state of Odisha is of very little consequence in comparison to the sufferings of the people. Locals claim all the company has done is use the minerals and manage the optics. They invited people from other parts of Odisha to visit their villages and see the truth with their own eyes.
