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Mining Mafia Active in Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh Loot in Employment Guarantee Scheme Exposed Banda: The worst sufferer of Environmental Changes Hunger, Thirst and Indebtedness - Bundelkhand’s Deepening Agro-Ecological Crisis Villager 'Dole' Takes Baby Steps Amid Apathy, Graft Job Cards Not Enough to Stop Exodus from Bundelkhand Bravehearts Champion Villagers' Rights Big Landowners Steal Benefits of Government's Anti-Poverty Schemes Indigenous People Helpless against Land Grabbers Government and Voluntary Organisations ABSSS and its Successful Struggle for Land and Livelihoods for the Kols The Shadow of Hunger Lifts from Tribals Arrested for Helping a Distressed Woman Tribals' Peaceful Struggle against Poverty Attempting Harmony of Livelihood and Conservation in Forests Needed: Right to Information Related to Land Records for Land Struggles of Poor Tribals Defend Their Newly Acquired Land A Burden of Exploitation for Kol Women Chitrakoot Has to Contend with 'Dacoit Raj' as Well Kol Women: Equal Partners, Unequal Rights |
Mining mafia active in Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh Bandainfo.com, July 13, 2007 Uttar Pradesh's Vindhyachal range, long known for its natural environs, has now come under grave threat due to widespread illegal mining. Hundreds of acres of fertile land have been rendered barren due to illegal mining. The farmers have given up ploughing the fields. The mining mafia have set up around 500 illegal quarries and dynamite and compressors have shattered the serenity of the region. Machines are used for digging 10-15 feet deep holes in which dynamite is blasted. About a thousand such detonations are carried out each day. These blasts throw out rock pieces with such a high intensity that at times people get killed. Local say many people have already lost their lives because of this problem. Manmohan Pal, a villager, said: "They activate the dynamite and the blast throws out rock pieces. At least 20-25 people have died along with nearly 50 cattle (goats) here." Many villagers have taken up contractual work at these mines for a meagre wage of rupees 60 per day. They do not know that the work is illegal. These workers at the mining sites are often illiterate. They are not aware that mining is illegal. One of the labourers, said: "We are ordinary labourers. The contractor knows everything. We don't know if blasting dynamite is illegal or not. We just do as the contractor's orders."The contractors do employ young children in the mines. Many of them are barely eight-year-old who carry about 20 kilograms of rock pieces. They are given rupees 20 a day. |