Everywhere in the world today the question of development has been tied up with questions pertaining to ecology, nature and sustainability. But in MP, the administrative and political set up has decided to deprive the people of all their natural wealth even before they wake up to the reality that they have been robbed. The sole motive is to sell the natural resource rich state to multi nationals and corner all the money through middleman-ship.
Though Rahul Gandhi was quick to take over the cause of tribals against Vedanta in Kalahandi, in Orissa, he has missed out on the plight of MP and the Amarkantak ranges area where blind folly is guiding what is termed as development. The Baigas have been concertedly thrown out of their ages long habitat through a murky collusion of officials and the local strongmen. This too when rahul camped inMP for three ling days. On the contrary, the whistle blowers are now on the gun point of local mafia.
Katani district carries within it the Badwaar Protected Area for forest dwellers but its plight is miserable. The BJP MLA who was also minister in the last State govemrment, has become a stooge of industrialists and the bogey of increasing penetration by naxals in the area is part of the same conspiracy to make way for multi nationals in the name of development. A big newspaper group too is involved in whipping up the naxal bogey.
Be it a private company like ACC or a Navratna company like SAIL, all have just looted the area of Katani dry. Not just these but new ones are on the verge of establishing their industrial units which will further put the area in danger. A team of Chauthi Duniya surveyed the area to take a firsthand look at the ground realities. The team found out that the there is a strong nexus between the multinational companies and the politicians along with the bureaucrats. The trio is so very in a hurry to sell the natural resources off that all laws and rules are shamelessly sped past.
All the newly built projects or those that are in the pipeline are the ones regarding which MoUs were signed by the Shivraj Singh government to make MP a golden land in the last ‘Investors Meet’. The government is in a doubtfully high speed to allocate land to such companies without any heed to local traditions and the displaced people. The local self governing institutions are never consulted and always kept out of the loop.
The BJP which is the ruling party is in no mood to stop its development train and is busy making money. The Congress too is not favourably inclined to listen to the people. The other parties are busy acting as middlemen and are making good money. Those who have raised their voices in protest have been branded as anti-development or have been declared as naxals and eliminated. The media too has turned a blind eye. It is only a small band of mavericks comprising of some right minded NGO workers and journalists who have taken up the cudgels and are waging the battle on behalf of the people. What remains to be seen is whether the people and their genuine aspirations win or the corridors of corrupt power take the pole position.
