Malkangiri: Even as this tribal-dominated district is known as a rich source of minerals and forest wealth, not a single major manufacturing unit has come up post independence, a report said.
However, the people of the district were hopeful that a cement factory would be set up here after it was known that a vast stretch, spanning across about 3,000 acres, close to Saberi River bordering Chhattisgarh under Kalimela and Padia blocks, had huge limestone deposits.
Locals expected that setting up of a cement factory would result in peripheral development and generate jobs for youths. But they were shocked when it came to light that Dalmia, a company that has been granted the lease, would only explore the limestone and won’t set up a cement mill. The factory would be established somewhere else for which people of several villages will be evicted, a report said.
The villagers said they didn’t know that they have to leave their farmland and birthplaces for the sake of limestone mining as no public meeting was conducted in this regard. The proposed mining will also destroy the forest and the environment, they argued.
Resentment among the locals had started brewing after a gram sabha was held last week at Katameteru village where the chief conservator of forest and Malkangiri divisional forest officer informed the people about the proposed limestone quarry.
They would prefer to die opposing mining to leaving their ancestral land and forest, warned the tribals.
It may be recalled that the state government had decided 30 years back to set up a paper mill in Malkangiri district as bamboo, a major raw material for paper production, was abundantly available in the area. Locals expected that it would address the unemployment issue to a large extent. However, the dream remained unfulfilled as the unit was set up in Koraput district with local youth being engaged only for cutting bamboos in the forest like daily labourers.
Meanwhile, hundreds of tribals of Matapaka panchayat Sunday assembled at Pushpal (Chhattisgarh) and decided not to leave an inch of land for mining activities.
Sukma ex-MLA Manish Kunjami, Matapaka sarpanch Binayak Chandra Madkami, all ward members of Matapaka panchayat, and people’s representative of the neighbouring state were among those who attended the meet.
PNN
