The "liberated zones" of the Leftist guerrillas in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh contain some of the most precious and valuable minerals. But the state authorities could not explore the minerals as the area had been under the control of rebels.
GMR's power plant envisages to come up on 530 hectares, of which 310 hectares belong to some 250 farmers. The district administration had convened a public hearing, but had to stop the proceedings soon after it began. The villagers gathered at the meeting place and lodged a strong protest against the project, vowing not allow the power plant to come up in the area.
ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel and three other companies are in the race to get control over the iron ore mines in Kawardha, about 120 km from Raipur. The company winning the bid to mine 100 million tonnes of iron ore in Kawardha will have to set up a steel plant. "We have kept the matter pending and any decision on the allotment of the iron ore mines in Kawardha is likely to be taken after the state assembly elections," CMDC Chairman Gourishankar Agrawal said.
The issue was raised in 2005 by none other than the then revenue minister of the state, Nankiram Kanwar. The minister alleged that the company had grabbed prime land and cut down a large number of trees without permission. The government conducted an inquiry that established that Balco had encroached 1036.52 acres of government land. The company, however, contended and claimed that the land under question was allotted by the government.
Tribals in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh have never been worshippers of Lord Ram. But now, they greet the visitors with Jai Shri Ram, thanks to a well-executed campaign of the saffron brigade in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state. The Katoli relief camp in Dantewada district, housing tribals deserting their habitats following Naxal terror, stands witness to this rapid transformation among the tribals.
Chief ministers of five mineral-rich states, including Chhattisgarh, will meet Home Minister Shivraj Patil in New Delhi tomorrow to demand rejection of the recommendations of the Hooda Committee on mining.
China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Company has struck a deal with the Chhattisgarh government to build two power plants with a capacity of 600 Mw in Korba district of the state.
The farmers of 10 villages in Lohandiguda block have now refused to hand over their land for Tata's proposed 5 mtpa steel plant until their 13-point demands are addressed by the administration.
For a state so rich in mineral wealth, the tribal parts of Chhattisgarh have had remarkably little investment in the last two years.
The revelation was made by Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kantilal Bhuria while attending a function after inaugurating the newly constructed building of Agricultural Fertiliser and Processing Unit at Indira Gandhi Agriculture University.
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