(Article: Prashant Jha)

Korba (Chhattisgarh). Korba is a tribal-dominated district in Chhattisgarh, which despite being rich in natural resources, is among the backward districts of the country in terms of development index. Due to the abundance of black diamond (coal) in this district surrounded by dense forests, apart from coal mines, other industries including power plants were also established from 1960-61. But this industrial development also gave rise to the problem of displacement, which the farmers and tribals here have to suffer and instead of improving the condition of their families, their lives are getting worse. The land and forests of the villages have been swallowed up by industries and factories and the general public is struggling with basic problems like water, electricity, roads, education and health in the affected villages.

The displaced families here are forced to live with unemployment and poverty. On top of that, due to environmental destruction and spreading pollution, deadly diseases have reduced the average age of their life by more than half.

Since 1962, the land of more than 62 villages has been acquired in coal mining projects, due to which the land of more than 20000 account holders has been acquired, but only 40% of the people have been provided regular employment by SECL. Earlier SECL's policy was to provide employment in exchange for a small piece of land, but it still did not provide employment to the affected families. Later this policy was changed to provide one employment on acquisition of minimum two acres of land. Due to this, most of the farmers affected by the acquisition were deprived of their right to get employment.

After the coal mines came into existence, the social responsibility of taking care of the displaced farmers and their families has not been fulfilled till date by any government and SECL itself. There was no place for the affected farmer families in the concept of industrial development. Some people have been given employment and rehabilitation, but even today thousands of displaced farmers, most of whom are tribals, are struggling for employment and rehabilitation after land acquisition. Now this struggle has become more difficult due to the pro-corporate policies of the central and state government, which are directly attacking the livelihood and natural resources of the poor. Some people are getting rich due to these pro-corporate policies, while most are fighting for survival. Therefore, the struggle against displacement and for employment is a part of a wider political struggle going on in this country and can be won only by changing the pro-corporate policies of these governments. The Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha affiliated to the All India Kisan Sabha in Korba has tried to carry forward this struggle as a part of its daily life. The Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha and the Bhoo-visthapit Rojgar Ekta Sangh have been fighting this battle together for the last 15 months.

Together these two organizations completely stopped coal production for 12 hours in Kusmunda on 31 October 2021 against the anti-employment policies of SECL, causing a loss of more than Rs 50 crore to SECL. The next day, from November 1, 2021, till today, for almost 450 days, they have been continuously sitting on an indefinite strike in front of the Kusmunda headquarters and are conducting various types of agitations from the protest site itself. There has announced that this movement will continue till all the Khatedar land oustees do not get the appointment letter for employment. In fact, they got the inspiration for such a long movement from the movement of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha. In the meantime, mine closure agitation has also been done 6 times, many senior officers of SECL have been gheraoed and picketed in their office rooms, roads have been blocked, effigies of officers and ministers have been burnt. Due to these agitations sixteen agitators have also been sent to jail. But the movement continues without bowing down to repression.

Under the pressure of this movement, SECL has to relax its rules in Korba district in the matter of less land, double acquisition and linear relationship and has been forced to initiate action on pending employment cases of land displaced. Now the struggle will be intensified against the management for giving a decision in favor of the oustees in the matter of birth after acquisition. Our argument is very clear that if the process of giving employment was completed along with land acquisition, then today the displaced people would not have to agitate on the issue of employment. That's why SECL's offer of compensation from the old policy and employment from the new policy is not acceptable to the farmers.

Children of many land-displaced families have also achieved higher education like MBA, Engineering etc. But SECL's policy is that no matter how educated you are, after land acquisition, only category-1 laborer will get job in the company. Such employment policy of SECL is discriminatory, which is being opposed by Kisan Sabha and is demanding to provide employment according to educational criteria in matters of employment.

Due to land acquisition, the only means of livelihood of the farmers has been taken away from agriculture, due to which the economic condition of the displaced farmers is very bad. The villages which have been acquired in the past have not received rehabilitation facilities till date. Even after 40 years, the oustees who have been resettled have not been given the patta or ownership rights of that land, due to which they are deprived of the benefits of many schemes of the government.

For coal project in Korba district,

Land is being acquired since 1962. But even today farmers are in physical possession of the said acquired land in many villages, because Coal India has neither done mining work on this land nor has taken possession of it. This can be called hoarding of land by the government and the company. Many mines have closed. Many lands are such that the mining work has been completed. The Kisan Sabha is demanding the return of all such lands to the original account holder farmers.

Apart from this, due to mining and de-pillaring, people's houses and farms have also been destroyed. Through our struggles, we have forced SECL to compensate annually for the losses caused to agriculture. Kisan Sabha has been fighting this battle with success for the last 10 years in Surakchhar area of Korba district.

After the acquisition of land in the name of industries, the poor come on the street, because the government and the company do not fulfill their responsibilities regarding employment, rehabilitation and compensation. The displaced are so poor that they cannot go to the court because they do not have enough money. Apart from this, cases remain pending in the courts for years and the decisions do not come in their favor. In such circumstances, the poor have no other way but to struggle. In Korba district, the Kisan Sabha has increased its organizational strength by waging a continuous and militant struggle on these issues of the land displaced. Many land displaced leaders are working openly under the banner of Kisan Sabha today and Kisan Sabha has become a popular organization among the common farmers.

gained reputation.

*(Prashant Jha is the state committee member of Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha.)*