According to Indian law, no mines may be carried out in the adivasi lands without the consent of the people concerned. Claims that communities consented to the Parsa mine were rejected by the Adivasis themselves. The Governor of Chhattisgarh had promised to launch an investigation into how the "consensus" would be obtained, but the government approved the project anyway.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
The wonderful Hasdeo forest, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, is a unique place, inhabited by about 20 thousand Adivasi. But this is not enough to be saved from the destruction, so much so that this very forest was chosen for a massive expansion of coal mines. The Indian authorities have approved two new projects for the extraction, but many Adivasi di Hasdeo are not there and have started an indefinite protest.
These are two impressive works that will be carried out by Adani, the infamous company that manages the PEKB coal mine, already operating in Hasdeo.
India, Adivasi women are brutally persecuted to defend ancestral lands from mining
In recent days, in fact, the green light has been given to open the Parsa mine in forests that are the home of thousands of Adivasi Gond and Oraon, and of Dalit. The lands and livelihoods of these people will be destroyed, and 200 trees will be cut down, while the PEKB mine, which has already destroyed vital lands for thousands of Adivasis living in Hasdeo, will be expanded.
A lot of Hasdeo's Adivasi started an all-out protest.
The situation is critical and for this reason we have decided to protest indefinitely. If they take our lands away from us, future generations will lose their identity and our existence will be erased forever, denounced Muneshwar Porte, an Adivasi man from Fatehpur village, destined to be destroyed.
The Parsa mine will produce 5 million coal a year for over 45 years to supply power to the state of Rajasthan, despite it already having enormous potential in solar energy.
For the past decade, Hasdeo's Adivasis have been knocking with all their might on every door to try to protect their sacred forest and have even marched 300 kilometers to meet the Prime Minister, ”said Survival International researcher Jo Woodman. But rather than prioritizing the rights of indigenous peoples and the Indian constitution, the government has chosen to favor coal mines.
This decision is also catastrophic for the fight against climate change. The Adivasis, the true owners and keepers of the Hasdeo forest, are intensifying their courageous resistance against mining activities they have not given their consent to. Standing with them in their fight to defend the forest and leave the coal underground should be a global priority.
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Fonte: Survival International
Read also:
- Hundreds of inhabitants of these indigenous villages are protesting against the coal mines
- "We have lived with tigers for centuries", the indigenous Jenu Kuruba fighting to stay in their ancestral lands
