South Indian Farmers consultation says no to land acquisition for private purposes

South Indian Farmers consultation says no to land acquisition for private purposes. For the demands of the South India Farmers Federation on the proposed land acquisition bills, visit http://siccfm.blogspot.com/2011/07/no-to-land-acquisition-for-private.html.

Article on Thervoy Kandigai Struggle by Students of Journalism

Click on the link to visit the article by students of Asian College of Journalism in Chennai who had visited the area during the hunger strike: http://na.acjnewsline.org/Groupc/Webpages/Adrija/Thervoy%20struggle.html

Action Alert: Online petition on the Thervoy Kandigai Struggle against SIPCOT

Action Alert:
Kindly sign the on-line signature petition hosted by ICCA Alert page in support of Thervoy Kandigai struggle at: http://www.iccaforum.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=114

Article on landmark judgment by Supreme Court on commons

Suprement Court has delivered a landmark judgment restoring people’s rights over common land. More from Down to earth magazine…

Illegal construction by SIPCOT without consent to establish

On 9 August 2010, SIPCOT obtained Environmental Clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. As part of “Part A – Specific Conditions — Construction Phase”, it is clearly mentioned that “Consent to Establish shall be obtained from Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board under Air and Water Act and a copy submitted to the Ministry before start of any construction work at the site”. However SIPCOT has already commenced construction without obtaining Consent to Establish as stated in the environmental clearance. Violation of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986 and of Air and Water Acts are prosecutable offences.

While Michelin India tyre company has been given consent to establish on 28/9/2010 by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, there is no indication that an environmental clearance has been given to the company.

Even in the past, for the same project SIPCOT has violated the EIA notification 2006 by constructing borewells at the proposed site(between 6-7th April 2010) prior to the Environmental Public hearing which was held on 30th April 2010. A complaint was filed in this regard with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and MOEF on 8/4/2010, but no action was taken by the concerned authorities. Prior to this, in 2009, SIPCOT had cleared the dense vegetation in the area which was halted by the affected villages of Thervoy Kandigai through a Madras High Court injunction. SIPCOT is a repeat offender and has not violated the EIA notification 2006, but also Hon’ble Madras High Court order dated 16/9/2009 (Writ Petition No. 9319 of 2009 and Contempt Petition No. 802 of 2009).

Complaints have been registered with MOEF and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board on these violations demanding
1. Withdrawal of the Environmental Clearance for the above project.
2. Launch prosecution proceedings against the Directors of SIPCOT under Environmental Protection Act and Air and Water Acts.
3. Reject SIPCOT’s application for Consent to Establish for its failure to honour its own undertaking to follow the law and for its failure to comply with the environmental clearance stipulated.

Update on Thervoy Kandigai Hunger Strike

On 25/2/2011, the 8 men arrested on 15/5/2011 were released on bail late in the evening. They are back in the village.

On 23/2/2011, a group of bureacrats, activists, artists, students, and solidarity group from Salem visited Thervoy Kandigai where people were busy doing NREGA work and working in their fields. The mood was upbeat, very spirited and people said that their struggle will continue till they get back the grazing land. Meanwhile all work has stopped at the SIPCOT/Michelin site as assured by the District Collector.

Photographs taken when the group visited the site:
(Courtesy: Professor Marx, People’s Union for Human Rights)

Grazing land being obliterated for SIPCOT industrial estate

SIPCOT clearing away the grazing land to establish industrial estate

Natural drainage canal in the acquired land which feeds to lake used for irrigation being levelled

Michelin tyre company in the industrial estate

Alternate land identified by SIPCOT for grazing

Alternate land identified by SIPCOT for grazing!

Thervoy Kandigai villagers determined to protect their land and livelihood

In the evening of 21/2/2011, Thiruvallur the District Collector visited the hunger strikers (many of whom had fallen sick after fasting for 7 days) and assured them ‘response’ from the govt in 10 days. He asked villagers to wait 10 days and if they don’t see any response from the govt. to their demands then to continue with their agitation. While the villagers were not too optimistic about the DC’s assurances, they villages have decided to call off the strike and wait for 10 days to give the ‘government a chance’ to respond.

PRESS RELEASE: 6th day of indefinite hunger fast by 1200 villagers of Thervoy Kandigai; TN govt. turns a blind eye, threatens people with arrests

Chennai, 21.2.2011: For past 6 days over 1200 women, men and children of Thervoy Kandigai village in Gummidipoondi Taluk of Thiruvallur District have been on an indefinite hunger fast. They started their fast on 16.2.2011 with the following demands:

1. SIPCOT industrial park project in Thervoy Kandigai village be immediately cancelled
2. Denotification of revenue department GO 650 and transfer of 1127 acres of meikkal poromboke land in survey no.s 32/2 and 33/2 to Thervoy Kandigai panchayat
3. Immediate and unconditional release of all 8 jailed villagers
4. Withdrawal of all false charges against 61 villagers arrested in 2009.

Since 2007, villagers have been peacefully protesting, petitioning, meeting with government officials to highlight their plight. But to no avail. In January 2009, 61 of the villagers were arrested and jailed for protesting.

Villagers have appealed at every possible democratic forum available to them, including in the environmental public hearing held in April 2010, where over 1000 people opposed the project. But their opposition was ignored and environmental clearance was accorded to the project in August 2010. While the villager’s appeal against Environmental Clearance remains pending with yet to be constituted central National Green Tribunal, SIPCOT has been constructing at the project site.

On 14.2.2011, over 500 women from the village entered the project site demanding SIPCOT to stop construction, when an understanding was mediated by the Tahsildar and DSP Gummidipoondi. A document was signed assuring that SIPCOT will not carry out any further construction till 23rd February when the District Collector will visit the village. But on 15.2.2011, 8 villagers were arrested and jailed by Gummidipoondi police based false complaints foisted by SIPCOT. They are still languishing in Ponneri sub-jail.

The proposed project site was being used as grazing land (prior to SIPCOT acquisition) as well as for afforestation programmes. It was part of the common property resource of the village. Most of the villagers here are small and marginal farmers and depend on the meikkal poromboke land for supplementary livelihood which is essential for their survival. They have small landholdings in which they cultivate paddy, ragi, groundnut and chillies. The only source of water for agriculture are three eris, entirely fed by water from the catchment area of the meikkal poromboke lands in survey nos 32/2 and 33/2. Besides being an important water catchment area, this land also provided important medicinal herbs, wild fruit and plants which are consumed by the villagers and are an important source of sustenance during droughts.

Joining the protesting villagers and representative of Thervoy Kandigai Munnetra Nala Sangam at the press conference representatives of Communist Party of India, Republic Party of India, Dalit Mannurimai Kootamaippu, Sirapu Porulaathara Mandala Edirppu Iyakkam, Peoples’ Union of Human Rights condemned the forcible land transfer and government apathy toward the hunger strikers.

For information contact: Gautam, Thervoy Kandigai Munnetra Nala Sangam (9787515437); Madhumita, SPMEI (9444390240); Nicholas, Dalit Mannurimai Kootamaippu (9443241130)

AXN ALERT: Voice your opposition to Thervoy Kandigai Land Acquisition

AXN ALERT

On 15.2.2011, 8 dalit villagers from Thervoy Kandigai, a predominantly Scheduled Caste village in Thiruvallur District of Tamilnadu, were arrested on false charges filed by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamilnadu (SIPCOT). The arrested villagers were small farmers and cattle grazers who were leading their village in struggle against the forcible transfer of 250 hectares of community forests and grazing lands to SIPCOT for handover to French tyre multinational Michelin. Already, much of the forests have been mowed down, and fences are being erected to keep the marginal cattle-herders from using the village commons for grazing. The arrests of the 8 villagers, and the police-led takeover attempt by SIPCOT has prompted 1200 villagers, mostly women, to sit on an indefinite hunger strike starting 15.2.2011. The elderly women fondly refer to the forests they nurtured over decades as their “Anbulla kaadu” or “Beloved Forest” and sing songs that speak of the forests as if it were their mother, their beloved, their child. For more information, watch the film “Anbulla Kaadu” —

As you read this, the Tamilnadu Government’s iron fist is poised to strike the village. A massive police contingent has encircled the village. The media, as is characteristic of their attitude towards most dalit land struggles, has hardly mentioned this massive uprising of people.

APPEAL: The mainstream media should be expected to betray us. But if people intervene to let the Tamilnadu Chief Minister know that we will not sit by and watch while the villagers of Thervoy are robbed of their forests, their livelihoods and their sources of water, we can turn the tide. We can stop the stop the Michelin tyre company in its tracks. We can thwart the French kiss of death.

Please fax, call and write to the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu and the Chairman/Managing Director of SIPCOT immediately.
———————————————————-

MODEL LETTER TO BE SENT TO CM, Tamilnadu and others is below:

To: Chief Minister of Tamilnadu
Fort St. George, Chennai 600009
Fax: +91 (0)44 25671441

To: Chairman/Managing Director
State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamilnadu
19A Rukmani Lakshmipathy Road, Egmore
Chennai 600 008
FAX: +91 (0)44 85139781 | 8513979 | 8513980

Date:

Subject: Withdrawal of SIPCOT Industrial Estate project from THERVOY KANDIGAI, Gummindipoondi Taluk, Thiruvallur District, Tamilnadu, and return of meikkal poromboke land to the villagers.

It is a matter of shame that a state and a Government that prides itself in being an ardent advocate of social reform and the rights of oppressed communities, is currently engaged in robbing Thervoy Kandigai’s predominantly dalit population of its only sources of living – its grazing lands, and its forests which are also the source of the village’s irrigation and drinking water. I am referring to the Government of Tamilnadu’s decision to convert 250 hectares of mekkal poromboke (grazing commons) to industrial use for handover to the French tyre company Michelin via the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamilnadu (SIPCOT). I am writing with urgency requesting you to stop the ongoing construction and release villagers that have been languishing in jail since 15.2.2011. As you read this, more than 1200 women, children and men are completing their first week of hunger strike to stop construction and fencing by SIPCOT, and demand for a return of their forests and grazing lands to their community.

With no support from the Government, this predominantly dalit village had, over the years, managed to transform their surroundings into a bountiful forest and grazing lands. The benefits of the forests were enjoyed not just by the community but also by the ryots whose lands were irrigated by the three eris (lakes) that were fed by rainwaters harvested by the community forests. Like most dalit villagers, the residents of Thervoy Kandigai were predominantly landless or tillers of small and marginal farms. Cattle economy is, therefore, a crucial supplement, and in many instances the only source of income, for Thervoy’s residents.

In early 2007, villagers learnt of the surreptitious manner in which the Thervoy gram panchayat (village government) passed a resolution dated 30.1.2007 supporting the diversion of the grazing commons land for industrial purposes. None of the villagers were consulted. Since then, they have peacefully, but firmly, opposed SIPCOT’s acquisition.

The conversion of grazing land and forest to industrial use will have disastrous repercussions, the immediate effect being complete cessation of agricultural and allied activities in the area. Much of the damage is already done. The village forests, fondly referred to as their “beloved forests” by village women who nurtured the trees, have been mowed down to clear land for Michelin’s tyre factory. The three eris that supply water for agriculture will dry up within months due to the removal of forest cover and the residents of the village will lose their livelihood overnight. Of equal concern is the fact that the forests which will soon be replaced by a toxic tyre factory are located squarely in the catchment area of the Araniyar River – a major source of drinking water, including for significant sections of Chennai city.

With all the noise that is being made by the Government of India about its commitment to combating climate change, and its strident demands seeking monetary support for incentivising afforestation, it is ironic to see the Government actively destroying forests nurtured by a community.

I come to the issue of illegality only in the end, because even if the entire manner in which this project was pursued were legal, it wouldn’t justify the alienation of a community’s only source of livelihood and water for setting up a tyre factory.

We demand that:

SIPCOT industrial park in Thervoy Kandigai be immediately cancelled;

The Revenue Department’s Government Order GO 650 transfering 250 hectares of grazing commons to SIPCOT should be annulled, and the lands returned to the Panchayat for their community’s use.

The 8 villagers that were arrested on false charges are released, and the charges against 61 other villagers arrested in 2009 dropped.

Sincerely,

Signature:
Name:
Full Address:

Anbulla kaadu (My beloved forest)

“A forest that was once ours is now private, a land that was once green now stands barren, a forest where we played, where we wandered freely is now fenced, men in uniform now guard the forest which we protected for generations”

Thervoy Kandigai. A small nondescript village in Gummidipoondi Taluk of Thiruvallur district, 50 kms north of Chennai. Surrounded by dense shrubby forests, natural lakes, rice fields and undulating terrain with misty mountain range of Sathyavedu in Andhra as the back drop. This small dalit village of about 1000 families is in the eye of a storm. A storm that can blow away the dreams of Tamil Nadu government to hand over hundreds of acres of land to French tyre company Michelin, a big ticketed investment worth Rs 4000 crore for the state.

Since 2007, when the villagers first heard that their grazing land (meikkal poromboke) of over 1000 acres which for over a hundred years has been part of their life and livelihood would be taken away by State Industrial Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT), this little self sufficient dalit village has been up in arms protesting the alienation of their grazing land.

Numerous protests, petitions, gram sabha resolutions, official meetings were met with stubborn determination of the TN govt’s plans to go ahead with acquiring the land and at times with repressive police actions. In 2009, 61 villagers were arrested and jailed for protesting. In 2009 villagers went to meet the then industries secretary MF Farooqui, who over a plate of roasted cashew and burfis in his plush secretariat office explained to them fruits of industrialisation. When Farooqui promised roads, schools and primary health center, the villagers retorted by saying that the elected government was duty bound to deliver these basic facilities to people. Their grazing land need not be taken for the government to deliver ‘welfare schemes’!

One might argue that precisely for deliverance of such ‘welfare’ measures the state needs investments. But one wonders what logic prevails when the state destroys already existing sources of natural livelihood and sustenance for thousands of families to industrialise so that it can provide ‘welfare’ to the same people.

Forests of Thervoy is not any ordinary forests. It’s an important water catchment area. Situated at a slightly higher elevation, it captures rain water which forms the main source of water for the three eris (natural ponds) which is the lifeline for agriculture for Thervoy Kandigai and other surrounding villages. It provides water for over 3500 acres of agricultural land.

The hills and forests along with 64 small ponds around the area provide a good source of water, soil and nutrients to river Araniar, which flows in the northern side of the Thervoy. This is vital for sustainability of sandy soil along with a good groundwater supply in the downstream reaches of Araniar. “The Holistic approach from hill to coast is considered as a single hydrologic unit for the Araniar river. Therefore, Thervoykandigai can be considered as the source zone for river Araniar. The sandy middle reaches from Periapalayam to Ponneri can be considered as dynamic zone and beyond Lakshmipuram anicut as Deposition zone. The probability of river Araniar disappearing and getting transformed into an effluent sewage carrier is very high” comments Prof Anuthaman, HOD Water Resources Dept, Anna Univ.

These forests are also natural pharmacy for the villagers. Whether its diabetes, healing of broken bones, fever, skin disease, antidotes for snake bites, these forests provides over 150 herbs for treatment. “We don’t have hospitals in this area, we depend on our forest to cure us”, said local village youth Gautama.

On 14th February, over 500 women, went to the SIPCOT site which was once their forest, where construction is going on full swing now that SIPCOT has obtained an environmental clearance based on flawed process and fraudulent data from Ministry of Environment. While the villagers have been waiting to challenge the flawed environmental clearance process in the National Green Tribunal, which MOEF is delaying inordinately to set up despite Supreme Court’s direction, the villagers hopelessly watch their forest being bulldozed and fenced.

Frustrated with government’s apathy to their woes, the women took the matter in their own hand and asked SIPCOT to stop work. Prompting police and revenue officials to intervene and negotiating an agreement of ‘no work’ till 23rd February. The officials, on a signed piece of paper, promised a meeting with the District collector on 23rd Feb’ assuring villagers that work will be put on hold till then. But on the following day, on 15th February, 8 villagers, three amongst them key activists who have been spearheading the opposition against the land acquisition, were illegally detained and then charged with various sections of IPC and jailed by the Gummidipoondi police. They are still in Pooneri sub jail.

Angered by the police action, 1200 women and men began an indefinite hunger fast from 16th February demanding unconditional release of the 8 men, withdrawal of the SIPCOT project and withdrawal of all false charges against the 61 villagers who were jailed in 2009.

This morning (17th Feb), 10 amongst the hunger strikers fainted due to heat and hunger. Is the state listening? Can it hear the anger and the anguish of the villagers who have resolved to starve themselves to death if the forest is not given back to them?

Madhumita Dutta
16.2.2011

Indefinite hunger strike by 1200 villages since 16/2/2011

Press Invite

Indefinite hunger strike by 1200 villagers of Thervoy Kandigai, Gummidipoondi Taluk, Thiruvallur District

When: Started on 16/2/2011. (ONGOING)

Why: Opposing forcible acquisition of village grazing land (meikkal poromboke) by SIPCOT for setting up Industrial Park and French tyre company Michelin: Illegal arrest and imprisonment of 8 villagers (arrested on 15/2/2011).

Thervoy Kandigai village is situated in Gummidipoondi Taluk, Thiruvallur District. State Industrial Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) has acquired grazing poromboke land of 1127 acres for setting up an industrial park with big ticketed investment of Rs 4000 crores by French tyre company Michelin.

Since 2007, villagers have been democratically protesting the state’s plans of alienating their common land which was used for grazing purposes used by 16 villages namely Thervoy Kandigai, Panjalai, Puliyur, Agraharam, poovalam Medu, Pettai, Iyer Kandigai, Siru Medu, Kandigai, Achalan Kandigai, Karadi Puththur kandigai, Madanancheri, Vepanthan Kandigai, Mukkarapakkam, Choolaimeni.

The grazing land forms an important water catchment for three big eris which are the lifeline for agriculture of the people. Besides there were 110 medicinal herbs in the forest including for snake bite and skin diseases. They are Coova Mani Keerai, Kaduchya Keerai, Janni Ver Keerai, Prandai Ilai, Vila Ilai, Dev thari Ilai, Adupu Ilai. The forest also gave fruits namely Kommi, kona, palai, Murutta, Vakkali, Kundu, Plicha, Veeru, Thavittu, Kila.

Contact: Gautam-9787515437 (Thervoy Gramam Munnetra Nala Sangam); Madhumita Dutta-9444390240 (Chennai)