Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan expresses concern over allocation of mines violating norms
Puri, Sep 9 (Representative) Noted Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Saturday expressed his deep concern over the way the allocation of mines is being made to various corporates by the state and central governments. Addressing farmers at the Beladal village ground to celebrate the victory of Anti Vedanta University Santharam Samiti in the Supreme Court, Prashant Bhushan said the way union and state governments are allocating mines flouting all existing norms of law to a handfull of corporates is alarming.
He said If this practice continues there will be little minerals left for the future generation and millions will be evicted from their land. Citing the situation in Niyamgiri, Kasipur and Balangir where native adivasis were being evicted to facilitate the corporates , Bhusan said this will not help neither the state nor the corporates in the long run as the natural resources will be depleted to such a level that it would not even able to sustain the corporates. He said he had filed a contempt of court case against state government which did not comply with the Supreme Court order. The Apex court had directed the state government to collect Rs 20,000 crore from the companies who were found illegally mining. After elapse of several years the state could collect Rs 17000 crore and Rs 3,000 crore is yet to be collected , he said. Medha Patkar the internationally famous social activist said natural flora and founa serve as lifeline of all living species. Natives are fighting to protect their Jal, Jangle and Jamin across the country. The governments are putting them in jail implicating them in various criminal cases, she said. The natural resources are the right of the natives and trying to protect these is no offence, patkar said.
She demanded the government to withdraw all cases filed against the social activists and set free the jailed activists at the earliest . Veteran Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik , OPCC President Sarat Patnaik criticised the BJD and BJP government for agreeing to allocate 8,000 acres of agricultural land belonging to 6000 families including two rivers to Vedant for setting up a university. They appealed to people to oust the corrupt Naveen Patnaik government in the state and BJP from centre in the coming elections. Umaballav Rath who conducted the proceedings of the victory ceremony informed that a committee led by Krishna Mohanty has been formed to exert pressure on the government for implementation of the Apex court judgement.