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Brinda Karat: Domestic, foreign firms 'looting' Jharkhand tribal land

2024-08-12

Senior CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat alleged that domestic and foreign companies, motivated by mineral reserves, were "looting" tribal land in Jharkhand's Santal Pargana region in collusion with local brokers. She claimed this was in violation of the Santal Pargana Tenancy Act, which was designed to protect tribal land, and was being done without regard for the Gram Sabhas.

Speaking at a convention in Dumka, Karat criticised the Narendra Modi administration for allocating coal blocks to both government and private sectors through auction. She alleged that the intimidation by brokers was so severe that tribals living near the Pachuada coal block were afraid to speak out against the companies.

Additionally, she accused the Eastern Coalfields (ECL) of outsourcing coal mining tasks to several companies that disregarded the interests of labourers and the rights of private landowners. Karat alleged that ECL had acquired farmers' land without fulfilling promises of compensation, rehabilitation, and job provision, leaving hundreds of such cases unresolved.

She also claimed that despite the expenditure of crores on the "Namami Gange project," the river Ganges near Sahebganj town had become polluted. Karat expressed concern that if exploitation continued, the underground water levels might decrease.