After reading the article I am confused whether the writer wants Tata or does not want its presence. The article laments that Tata has only exploited Orissa and given nothing in return but fails to mention grossly condemnable incidents like Singur and Nandigram which are coupled with the projects initiated in West Bengal.
There are problems from both pro-capital and anti-capital groups. I have often found that the pro-capital individual is the typical beneficiary of the current economic boom a businessman, an IT professional, retail investor in the stock market, engineering/management professional etc. No doubt, economic boom has enabled a small section of the middle class to fulfill those aspirations for which they worked hard all their life. For these people TATAS, Reliance etc. who give them jobs are the 'devtaas' (someone once asked me who is a 'devta' and on replying that a 'devta' is god I was told that 'devta' is nothing but 'jo de wahi devta' - the one who gives is god. So, whatever gives livelihood becomes god be it an MNC or a mahua tree). And hence they become impervious to atrocities/exploitation brought about by the industries in rural/tribal areas. To a certain extent there is nothing wrong in what they feel and think. If I start thinking that to manufacture silicon chips a lot of water is polluted so I should not use silicon chips then I would not be able to write this message itself. The anti-capital groups are correct in many points that they raise. But they fail to realize that to some extent the people of the 'backward' states themselves are to be blamed for the present scenario. When some people talk about 'tribals' they fail to realize that the tribal society itself is divided into different classes today. Some are well-to-do and educated people in cities who have access to the best facilities. Do those educated 'tribal' people ever look back to their own brethren who are being exploited? When it comes to availing of the benefits of reservations they are the first in the queue. In many of the tribal areas the tribal population is one-third but the reservation is only 7.5% in educational institutions and government jobs. These seats are grabbed mostly by the well-to-do among tribals. The 'actual' tribal is left behind to bear the burden of displacement, loss of livelihood and exploitation by the capitalists. Will Mr. Samuel Lakra who in all probability is a very learned gentleman promise that he will ask his children to compete in the open category and not avail themselves of the benefits of reservation so that some of their brethren from economically weaker `tribal' background can get that seat. I pose the same question to Mr. Maheshwar Munda jo ki kaafi jaankaari rakhne wale lagte hein - kya aap apne bacchon se ye bolengey ki general category mein compete karo taaki tumharey bhai bahan jo gaon mein kathin jindagi ji rahe hein unko kuch karne ka, kuch bananey ka mauka miley. It is a sad reality that the state has failed to regulate the activities of the mining companies. Large-scale deforestation, irreparable harm to ecology and land grabbing has been done. Thousands of people have lost their land and their health has been adversely impacted. At the same time the government has failed to do anything substantial for the tribal areas. Proper sanitation, educational facilities, healthcare everything is missing (A rank of 128 on Human Development Index for the country is a clear indication). Proper government intervention to manage compensation to the affected and to maintain transparency in all land acquisition deals needs to be put in place. Thanks Alok
