Western Ghats Calling: Between legal and illegal mining there is just this 'ill'

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Between legal and illegal mining there is just this 'ill'

Reading Sept 29 newspapers in Goa make for interesting reading, and one can easily be forgiven to think of a Samuel Beckett play, where the end beckons but never nears. There were some in Goa for instance, who felt that The Shah Commission’s report was a perfect present for this Chaturthi season. Apparently not:

As one can clicks this link , Ganesha too, is not to be protected from the mining lobby, a few upper caste, well-heeled families, who now outsource their greed and theft, to, a constituency that by design is now referred to as ‘mining-dependent people’…Given that it was part of the same play, it was not unlikely, that yesterday too, perhaps even at the same time, the renowned Centre for Science and Environment and indeed, some 30 journalists from Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, were given a taste of just how much is being done to make blatantly illegal mining become ‘legal’…

All these actions follow what Goa’s pro-environment lobby has been saying for some time, that the mines are illegal and they should be shut down forthwith. As can be read they have argued their case cogently – even to the extent of seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention to recognize the findings of The Shah Commission and do nothing more than implement its recommendations.

The Sept 29 edit in Herald from Panjim, given its long and trusted tradition of either sitting on the fence, or trying to run with both hares and hounds, was surprisingly forthright, saying 35,000 crore rupees was looted by X number of Goan mining operations, that the Goan people want that money back, as simple as that, and all the fat cats should stop trying tricks to wiggle out of the mess and continue the mining as if nothing happened.

The edit mentions the 80 year old woman who blocked a mine. That’s nice: her name is Dora, she’s my mother and I couldn’t be a prouder son. She blocked the mine being operated by Dinar Tarcar, a well-known politician and suave man about town. When we found out in 2008 through our sources in the Mines Department that the mine was patently illegal and operating without any licenses, it was her suggestion that the mine be blocked.

That too was interesting. There were several others arrested with her, including a Salesian priest and a well-known anti-mining activist. Mysteriously only Dora, her daughter and her family retainer had cases filed against them, and had to go several times to court to answer trumped-up charges. The case dragged on four solid years and still failed to break Dora’s resolve that the blatantly illegal mining had to stop.

In all this absurdity, lies a journalist called Sujoy Gupta, who once edited the Herald and actively assisted the BJP come to power and assert the constitutional right of some families to mine, only to dump them the next day, mission accomplished, to head The Goan, a weekend newspaper that claims to be the authentic voice of Goa. Gupta is better known in pro-environment circles, as the man who filed a 500 crore lawsuit against an anti-mining activist in Goa, a suit one may add that seems to have mysteriously disappeared. He’s also been the main front for preaching the case for ‘legal’ mining.

Dora of course insists that any industry that willfully takes away forest and water cannot be legal, and the rest of us in her family concur with that. But the old bird has a great sense of humour, I’ll give her that…

This Tarcar fellow’s mine was illegal she asks me?
Yeah, I reply.
This Gupta fellow only wants legal mining?
Yeah, I say.

And this Gupta fellow filed a suit for 500 crore against Saby because Saby was only writing about illegal mining when his own boss, that Timblo fellow, was actually doing ’legal’ mining?

Yeah, I tell her, wondering where she’s going with this crazy logic.
So this Gupta fellow is actually only against illegal mining?

You could say that I reply.

She hasn’t finished. So now you tell me he’s a big shot with a lot of clout and what not and edits this big paper that’s only speaking for Goans?

Good, she says, so you ask this Gupta fellow and his boss, that Timblo fellow, whether he’ll help me file a 500 crore suit in Goa – because I can’t travel all the way to Kolkata – against this Dinar Tarcar fellow for illegal mining, and falsely harassing us for four years. Tell him when we get the money, we’ll share it among the people of Cawrem and Maina and reforest Tarcar’s illegal mine…

Nice idea Mom I say, I’ll tell the guy…

- Hartman de Souza

No comments:

Post a Comment

Save Western Ghats Movement (SWGM)

SWGM has an unpleasant history. Hailed by India Today as one of the finest post-independence environmental movement, the mid-1980s march along the pristine 'ghats' had to wither away on account of internal squabbling between the organizers. Between 2006 till 2008, Sudhirendar Sharma got an opportunity to travel across the region to capture the latent energy among diverse actors to reignite the past. Together with Pandurang Hegde, who carried the painful memories of the past, the Save Western Ghats Movement of the 80's was revived at Peaceful Society in Goa in 2009. Peaceful Society (led by Kalanand Mani) had played stellar role in anchoring the SWGM in 1988.

SWGM Conferences

Three important congregations of activists, researchers, scientists, artists, politicians and thinkers have been organised since 2009 under the aegis of Save Western Ghats Movement - an informal platform of civil society actors. While the first, in 2009 in Ponda (Goa) revived the erstwhile movement of the mid-80's, the second in Kotagiri (Tamilnadu) in 2010 was major milestone as it led to the setting-up of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel by the Ministry of Environment & Forests. The third congregation at Moodbidri (Karnataka) in 2011 reiterated civil society commitment to conserve the ghats whatever be the outcome of the panel.

Sussegad

Sussegad, meaning `easygoing’, is often associated with the Goans but it does extend to other areas along the Western Ghats, notably hilly parts of Karnataka. Mellowed down by the warmth of the Sun, the coolness of the rains and the wisdom of the green hills, people in these parts of the Western Ghats are known for their simplicity and hospitality. Accommodating as they are, sussegad lends a distinct cultural identity to these people.

When the world elsewhere is racing against materialistic greed, sussegad provides the much desired calming effect. Gandhi used to say: `there is more to life than speed.’ People in the ghats seem to have imbibed that spirit from time immemorial. Being laid back and stealing siesta time during each afternoon may seem out of place for an average outsider but for people here it is an accepted practice that renders them inherent strength – of being in harmony with self, society and nature. It seems sussegad could be for the good of the entire society. Any takers!

Open House

By definition, activists are an interesting bunch of people with high octane levels. At the heart of activism lies the unflinching desire to bring the world on its feet. Unilaterally focussed, immensely committed and socially driven, activists have struggled to carve out a niche for themselves in the shrinking social space. Yet, they enjoy the patronage of the state and its cronies. Had there not been the state with its dubious designs, the breed called activists would not have existed? Wonder, who then is the real activist?

Do you agree with this notion?

All About Frogs

Pictorial Guide to Frogs and Toads of the Western Ghats has been published to help students, researchers, forest managers, photographers and general public in identifying a species in the field along with its status, ecology and distribution. Simultaneously it also aims at bringing awareness about amphibians among general public. This book covers 73 species of 156 frogs and toads recorded from the Western Ghats as of date. Written by Dr. KV Gururaja, the book is available through: http://shop.gubbilabs.in.