Salvage, mining ops set to start at Surjagarh mining site

NAGPUR: Efforts have started to remove the 80 vehicles set afire by Naxalites on December 23 last year at the Surjagarh mine project at Etapalli in south Gadchiroli. After the end of the local tribal population’s ‘Thakur dev yatra’, an annual fair on the Surjagarh hills, the district administration and police are preparing to resume work at the site left devastated by the rebels.
Mining work is expected to resume shortly, with the strong political backing of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.The mines are to be secured with six new police posts surrounding the project spread over 348 hectares, apart from robust deployment at the site, including security towers.
The transporters who lost vehicles in the Naxal arson have found support in the Gadchiroli police, who have handed over all required documents of the ill-fated vehicles to ensure owners can claim their insurance payouts. One of the transporters claimed he did not get any monetary compensation from mining lease holder Llyods Metal and Energy Limited, but expressed keenness to resume work under police protection. He said the villagers at the grass roots level had no qualms about working at the project as it provided livelihood to them. The transporter also claimed that some local leaders may continue opposing the mines for political interest.
While the Naxal fear is still rooted in the minds of local residents, the state government seems to be in the mood to outnumber the rebels. Six new posts for security personnel have been sanctioned in the forests of Etapalli taluka, with Rs18 crores okayed for posts at Pipli Burgi, Elchi, Nender, Tumarkothi, Murewada and Dodur.
The posts at Murewada and Tumarkothi, set to come up near Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) and Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) border, are expected to guard the corridor which helped Naxalites enter Etapalli from their stronghold Abujhmadh. Nender post will come up towards the eastern side of the mining site, while Pipli Burgi post would be on the northern side. The Dodur post will be on the Gadchiroli-Kanker (Chhattisgarh) border. Elchi post is expected to be on the southern side of the project.
SP, Gadchiroli, Abhinav Deshmukh said that demand for an additional battalion dedicated to protecting the mining project was already there, but now the government has sanctioned budget for erection of the posts. “The sanction of manpower is yet to be done,” he said.
Apart from security, district administration under collector ASR Naik is also planning local facilities, including road network, electrification and other facilities. The district administration is meeting on Saturday to discuss utilization of District Mineral Fund (DMF). The fund, created from a share of the government’s earnings from mining royalties etc, is meant to cater to local needs.
Naik told TOI the lease holder would have to prepare the approach while the rest of the network of roads would be created using DMF. “Llyods is also meeting over the issue of land acquisition to be done by MIDC. The project would gain momentum soon,” he said.
It was also reliably learnt that the state government, acting tough on Llyods, has urged them to avoid negotiating with any outlaws or Naxalites, unlike in the past, and communicate with the police department instead.
Despite the full-proof preparations to resume work, some in the local population feel that Naxalites would continue targeting the project and, in particular, its employees and properties.
FRONT ORGANIZATIONS GEARING UP
Some front organizations who champion the Naxal agenda have been vociferously opposing the Surjagarh mining project in the garb of tribal rights over ‘jal, jungle aur jameen’ (water, forest and land). These organizations are also claiming to fight against the government’s displacement policy.
In the first week of January, coinciding with the Etapalli’s Thakur Dev Yatra on the Surjagarh hills, the front organizations held a three-day mobilization campaign to garner support among the local population against the project. Though some feel the mining project would help tribals get regular payment at a higher rate, the front organizations claim they would soon expose the government’s to plunder local resources.