I came across a YouTube video showing a group of human rights activists campaigning in a bus in Chennai. Their motive was to sensitize people about corporate companies looting the forests in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. One of the activists invites the public to attend a seminar organized on June 14, in Chennai on this burning issue. The activist’s fiery speech was indeed inspiring.
It is said that Jal (water), Jameen (land) and Jungle (forest) are the resources belonging to the tribal/indigenous communities who have been living in the forest areas for many generations. Today, the tribal communities are losing their right over these resources.
Where and how?
- Coal mining and coal use have been the most significant cause of global warming. It damages the environment and affects the lives, livelihood and culture of the indigenous people who live in a coal mining area. Resistance and rejection have been strong among those people. A people’s movement in Jharkhand resists an open-pit corporate coal mine. It is sad to note that the corporate companies aiming at profit try to kill tribal movements.
- “When the coal mine was dug, the jungle and the fields were destroyed forever. The routine of taking cattle for grazing stopped, and the hills and waterfalls sunk into a hole in the ground”, said a tribal leader. Because of the ecological sensitivity of the region, the federal environment ministry declared Hasdeo Aranya a ‘no-go zone for mining’ in 2010. However, this status was revoked in 2011, and two years later, the first coal mine in the Hasdeo forests – the Parsa East Kete Basen (PEKB) – began operations with Adani Enterprises as its mine developer and operator.
- Over the past 18 months, more than 40,000 trees have already been cut down in Hasdeo’s rich forests, where a total of 1 million trees are set to be felled for coal mining. These forests are home to precious trees like sal, mahua, bija, and tendu, along with endangered flora and fauna. The mining operations have also put the historic Ramgarh hills and Sita cave at risk, further intensifying the environmental crisis.
- Deep in the jungles of central India, forest-dwelling tribes are marking the one-year anniversary of a continuous agitation against a new coal mine to be developed by the Adani Group. These woods are said to be the largest contiguous stretch of dense forestland in central India, spanning 170,000 hectares or 1700 sq. km (65.6 sq. miles) and often called the “lungs of Chhattisgarh”. They are also home to the proposed Lemru Elephant Reserve.
- It is shocking to that a 6-month-old girl was killed and her mother was hurt in firing between security forces and Naxalites in Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. The fight is essentially to clear the tribals from their forests. In order to have a hold on the tribal land filled with natural resources, the corporate companies brand the innocent tribal communities as Maoists and try to harass them in various ways. (…)
Possible solutions: Realizing the ecological imbalance, several Indian companies are now funding and implementing large-scale afforestation projects as part of their CSR activities. Here are some notable examples:
- The Tata Group has initiated several tree plantations drives across India, with a focus on degraded lands and urban spaces. Tata Steel’s “Green School Project” educates students on environmental conservation while involving them in tree plantation activities.
- ITC’s social forestry initiative has transformed over 900,000 acres of degraded land into thriving green spaces. The program not only increases forest cover but also generates sustainable livelihoods for rural communities.
- Reliance has invested in reforestation programs that aim to enhance biodiversity, promote sustainable farming practices, and improve community well-being.
- Infosys, as part of its carbon neutrality commitment, has undertaken extensive afforestation projects to offset its carbon footprint. The company also collaborates with NGOs to increase green cover in rural and urban areas.
- The Aditya Birla Group’s CSR efforts include tree plantation drives that involve local communities, ensuring their active participation and creating a sense of ownership.
These small efforts could go on. More than this, both state and federal governments must stop permitting corporates to loot the natural resources. We are only the custodians. Hence, it is our collective responsibility to protect Jal, Jameen and Jungle.
- By M L Satyan, Matters India
