Interesting that Deba Nayak and I see eye to eye on this issue at least - that TATA's have been exploiting Orissa for over a century and we have only the gaping wounds of Goruhamisani and Badampahar to shows, along with the scars of their mines in Joda-Barbil and the black spot of IPITATA pollution in Keonjhar which is one of most prominent landmarks of Orissa visible from space. Yes, TATAs have taken us for a ride, including funeral rides for 13 persons killed in Kalinganagar and god knows how many dead of cancer in Sukinda from hexavalent chromium pollution. Unfortunately, instead of asking TATAs to pay us the fair value of our Iron ore or our chrome, we still beg for scraps like hospitals and schools. But as Sarvottam jee points out, we have no one but ourselves to blame - including our political leaders who for small benefits are willing to sell the resources of the State to exploiters like TATA at throwaway prices. No wonder we are the poorest state in India.
Look at the lenghts to which the WB Government went in Singur to appease the TATAs - unfortunately, tribal people of Kalingagar died on the State Government and created such a ruckus that till date the steel plant of TATAs can't be started.They are so obdurate that they say that they will die but not give up their land- what a shameful situation. If Kalinganagar was in West Bengal, I am sure by this time the tribals would have been "Singured" and "Nandigrammed" and the TATA factory would have been rolling out on "red" carpet like the NANO from Singur. Such a shame! Our government can't even kill our own citizens properly for the TATAs and their ilk. They should learn from the West Bengal. regards Nachiketa On 1/13/08, deba nayak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Rs. 1-lakh car "Nano" of Tata Motors will provide a joyous ride to > common man. > > But people of Orissa are literally taken for a ride. > > Exploiting Orissa's iron ore and chrome ore for a century Tata Steel has > given little in return. Apart from a couple of plants here and there with > few social projects the House of Tata has ignored Orissa. > > But the group is lavishing West Bengal with a number of major industrial > and huge social investments. > > Ratan Tata has listed a slew of investments his group would make in West > Bengal on 11 January. > > Tata Steel is investing in coke and power plants in Haldia. > > TCS will be setting up a large facility in Calcutta, where as in Orissa it > has a small development centre. > > The "country's largest cancer hospital with "World class research and > development" facilities would also be built in Calcutta, announced the Steel > Czar. > > In Orissa it has set up small hospitals in Joda and a few tiny health > facilities in the mines and nearby plants. > > It acquired 4000 acres of land in 1996 at Gopalpur to set up a major steel > project. > > But it ditched the state and set up the cold rolling mill at Jamshedpur. > > Compelled to announce a Greenfield steel project at Kalinga Nagar due to > threat of cancellation of iron ore lease, the project is yet to make any > progress. > > Orissa has given every thing to Tatas and leaders of the state have gone > out of the way to shower favors to the Steel Major. > > Tata receives hundreds of crores of rupees per annum by exporting > /exploiting chorme ore and iron ore. > > Once the mineral is exhausted that area is left like abandoned filed full > of gaping holes. > > Mining areas of Gorumahisani and Badampahar bears the burnt of Tata is an > eye opener. > > With all the iron ore deposits exhausted the fields of both the areas are > abandoned without any trace of development leaving huge craters as their > legacy. > > Now craters accumulate water, resulted in the breeding grounds for > malaria, which has become scourge for the poor tribals. > > Tatas have never looked back to barren tracts of Gorumahisani and > Badampahar and now it is one of the most deprived zones of the state. > > Similar will be fate of entire mineral bearing areas of Orissa, when after > 20 years all its chrome and iron ore will be exhausted , predict experts of > the industry. > > Earlier Orissa paid for the development of Jamshedpur and now experts say > the state will continue to pay for development of Calcutta. > > http://www.tathya.in/story.asp?sno=1547 > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > -- website: www.freewebs.com/epgorissa [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
