New Delhi, Delhi, India
International Watch, based in the United States, registered International Watch Society (IWS), under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, in New Delhi, India, in November 2005, under guidance from the office of the Prime Minister (PMO). The society is primarily set up to organize and carry out the rehabilitation and resettlement (R & R) of the people affected by the Posco project in Orissa.
The IWS R & R proposal is considered to be the best blueprint for addressing the various issues faced by the people affected by Posco. Shri Pyari Mohan Mohapatra MP - the closest advisor to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik - has been working with IW and IWS to fine-tune the proposal. As per the suggestions from Shri. Mohapatra and the PMO, IWS office has been established in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
The proposal covers all key aspects of the Posco rehabilitation and resettlement: Land - for- land, Source of steady income for the Project Affected People -PAPs; Restoration of income source for the PAPs; Sources of finance and training; Alternate economic rehabilitation and training; Preference for employment through contractors; Community participation and integration with host populations; Socioeconomic survey; Identification of alternate sites and selection; Valuation of, and compensation for, lost assets; Land ownership, acquisition and transfer; Access to training, employment and credit; Shelter, infrastructure and social services; Environmental protection and management, Implementation schedule, monitoring and evaluation; Demarcation of house plots; Temporary Transit sheds; Electrification; Hand pumps; Approach Road; Dispensary; Primary school; Water Supply Scheme; Troughs for drinking water to animals; Seed store; Panchayat Ghar; Place of worship; Latrine units; Cremation ground , and many other essential features.
IWS team has been visiting Paradip - Posco's plant site - interacting with the villagers of Dhinkia, Guda Gujang, and Nuagaon, and seeking support for the Posco R & R (without mentioning the company's name per se, because of the wide spread hostilly to the project). The report on these visits is available on request. The Posco project affected people (PAPs) say Orissa Government's 2006 R & R proposal is grossly inadequate, since it offers cash without safety net. Many prominent social and human rights activists believe that in patriarchal families such as the ones affected by Posco, cash compensation - in lieu of fertile land - is never suitable. The only program acceptable to the Posco affected people is the one proposed by IWS, which primarily stresses Land - for - Land.
IWS is headed by Dr. Nihar Ranjan Das in Orissa. Dr. D. Swaminadhan, a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC), is consultant to IWS.
IWS has been in constant touch with the PMO, which is enthusiastically supporting the proposal. The R& R proposal has also received the passionate support of many distinguished members of the NAC and was submitted to Madam Sonia Gandhi for personal endorsement. Union Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, the Tribal Affairs Minister Shri Paty Ripple Kynidah, Tata Institute of Social Services chief Dr. S. Parasuraman, and Orissa Governor Rameshwar Thakur, Union Minster for NRI' s Hon. Vaylar Ravi are among the many notables supporting the IWS R & R for Posco.
Ironically, Posco has refused to endorse the IW and IWS R & R program - after initially showing great interest, and even offering partial financial backing (albeit verbally), through the offices of company chairman Lee Ku Taek and president Kang Chang-Oh. Mr. Cho Soung Sik and other Posco India officials have even refused to meet with Dr. D. Swaminadhan, and other members of the IWS organization. India's Ambassador to South Korea, Shri N. Parthasarathy, has written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul, seeking an explanation about Posco's nonchalant attitude toward the IWS R & R proposal. Posco and its board - Mr. Young Ju park, Prof.Yoon-Suk-Suh, Mr. Charles Ahn, Dr. E. Han Kim, and CFO Mr. Lee Dong Hee (all of whom were frequently contacted by IW) seem to be embarked on an unusual strategy: Influence the Indian media, make frequent announcements about jobs, scholarships, etc., and hide all information about the anti-Posco people's movement in Orissa from the South Korean media as well as company shareholders!
According the leadership of the CPI (M), CPI, BJP, and the Orissa State Congress Party, Posco's total rejection of the IWS R & R proposal speaks volumes about its true intent: Exploit Orissa's precious mineral wealth to boost its own market share, without any consideration for the indigenous people who stand to loose everything. IWS has come to accept much of the views expressed by these groups: The tribals, Scheduled casts, and other backward communities who inhabit the forest areas where the mineral deposits are located have an ethical right over the resources; The Posco deal is not only harmful for Orissa but the country as well; Agricultural crops, betel wines, fish, Cashews - all mainstay of the region - will be affected; Posco has a hidden agenda to acquire control of the country's iron ore.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has often said: "The industry should pay more attention to the project displaced by industrialization." The National Advisory Council (when Madam Sonia Gandhi was the Chairperson) raised serious concerns about the Posco project: It is not the question of the quantum of investment that matters, it is the interest of the state and country that matters; The acquisition of 4000 acres of land has to be properly explained; How many villages are to be acquired? Posco's water requirement would create problems for farmers.
Swayed by the strong voices of opposition against the Posco project, IWS has decided to take a stand against the company's reckless disregard for the welfare of the Project Affected People (PAPS). The organization plans to join the people's movement until Posco properly addresses issues of displacement, and rehabilitation. If the company fails to comply, IWS is planning to move the high courts in the nation, seeking a stay of the project.
About International Watch USA
With deep roots in the United States and India, International Watch is a non-profit organization that operates on many fronts. On the social service front, the organization works with international conglomerates and human rights organizations committed to improving quality of human life, eliminating poverty, and fighting social injustice.
Contacts
International Watch USA
1259 West Cliff Court/Suite 2B
Dayton, Ohio 45409, USA
pnkutty@internationalwatch.org
INDIA REGD. OFFICE
International Watch Society
Flat #232, Third Floor
Pocket 11, Block C, Jasola
New Delhi 110025
ORISSA OFFICE
52 Forest Park/2nd. Floor
Bhubaneswar, Orissa 751009
Tel: (674) 2533159
Source: International Watch (Business Wire India)
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