sarini Occasional Papers, No. 4 sarini Occasional Papers, No. 4 Adivasis of Rourkela Adivasis of Rourkela Looking Back on 50 Years of Indo-German Economic Cooperation Documents - Interpretations - International Law Edited & Published by sarini and Adivasi-Koordination in Germany, 2006 - 1 - sarini Occasional Papers, No. 4 Adivasis of Rourkela Adivasis of Rourkela Looking Back on 50 Years of Indo-German Economic Cooperation Documents - Interpretations - International Law Edited and published by sarini and Adivasi-Koordination in Germany Printed by CEDEC, Bhubaneswar 2006. (sarini Occasional Papers, No. 4) sarini Occasional Papers hold NO COPYRIGHT. Adivasi-Koordination in Germany Widest possible dissemination of these informa- Secretariat: Dr. Theodor Rathgeber tions is intended. Jugendheimstr. 10 Further ideas about the functioning and inten- D-34132 Kassel, Germany tions of this network - and about the work of Phone ++49-561-47597800 Adivasi-Koordination can be found on the back Fax ++49-561-47597801 cover. email [email protected] A version will also be available on the Internet. www.Adivasi-Koordination.de This sarini publication is distributed from: sarini c/o Johannes Laping Sahayog Pustak Kuteer (Trust) Christophstr. 31 11-A, Nangli Rajapur D-69214 Eppelheim, Germany Nizamuddin east Phone ++49-6221-766557 New Delhi 110 013, India Fax ++49-6221-766559 Phone ++91-11-24353997 email [email protected] email [email protected] B.I.R.S.A. Mines Monitoring Centre Earlier publications of sarini: B6 Abilasha Apartments, 11 A Purulia Road Jai Adibasi - A political reader on the life and Ranchi 834001, Jharkhand, India struggles of indigenous peoples in India Phone ++91-651 2531874 150 p., 1994. email [email protected] Indigenous Peoples in India CEDEC/NISWASS (sarini Occasional Papers, No. 1) 3, Chandrashekharpur 61 p., Bhubaneswar 1997. Bhubaneswar 751.016, Orissa, India Phone ++91-674-2300052 / 2300831 Jai Jharkhand (sarini Occasional Papers, No. 2) Adivasis for Social & Human Rights Action 126 p., Bhubaneswar 1999. ASHRA-Niketan P.O. Kuanrmunda, Adi-dharam. Religious beliefs of the Adivasis of Distr. Sundargarh, Orissa, India India By Ram Dayal Munda C.R. Bijoy (sarini Occasional Papers, No. 3) Doctors’ Quarters 48 p., Bhubaneswar 2000. Sri R.K. Hospital 395, Avaram Palayam Coimbatore 641.044 , T.N., India email [email protected] The sketch map on the front cover is reproduced with kind permission of J.Bodo Sperling, excerpts of whose study “Rourkela – Sozio-ökonomische Probleme eines Entwicklungsprojekts.” (Rourkela - Socio-Economic Problems of a Development Project), Eichholz Verlag Suggested donation for this publication: Bonn 1963, have been translated into English and are Indian Rupies 100.00 or EURO 5.00 printed on pages 75-80 in this publication. - 2 - sarini Occasional Papers, No. 4 Adivasis of Rourkela PREFACE Around fifty years ago, in the 1950s, the land of in italic characters and that is in two columns the Adivasis or the indigenous peoples of Rour- layout. Data on displacement, which are compiled kela was taken over for the construction of a steel from different documents, along with a map of plant and ancillary industries together with a new the resettlement sites are also included here. residential town. German technical and financial assistance in designing and planning, construc- In Part II we reproduce interpretations of this tion and operation of the steel plant continued peculiar Rourkela process, from different per- over five decades. spectives and dating from different times. Achievements and failures of this long term pro- In Part III we look at the wider implications of ject of bilateral cooperation are interpreted in vari- industrialisation and mining in the mineral rich ous ways depending on the larger interests and areas of eastern India, Orissa and Jharkhand. This on the criteria adopted by the observer. This pub- includes details on new industrial projects and lication presents some information on the life and peoples’ reactions to these. A report and an of the Adivasi population in and around Rour- analysis on the dramatic developments in early kela. 2006 in Orissa are also given here. The texts are arranged in four main sections. The Part IV - for ready reference - gives the two most general layout rule is like this: important instruments of international law plus - comments and interpretations are in two a recent U.N. document, adopted only in June columns; 2006, that will have to be considered when out- - documents are in single columns and in boxes. lining the further developments. The layout for All texts in the four sections are arranged in this is in single column and in grey boxes. chronological order. All this is in preparation of a “Rourkela Con- Part I contains a few official and semi-official ference” that is being held in Germany on 22-24 documents as well as selected documents of the September, 2006. In this conference, Indian and decades long struggle of the Adivasis for rehabi- German representatives from civil society and litation after they were forced to give up their land from government institutions will discuss histo- in the places where the steel plant and the new rical experiences as well as expectations, tasks and “steel city”came up. These documents are pre- future activities. This reading material will also sented in boxes and in single column. At times be published in German language and will later these documents are introduced or commented be appended with the conference findings. sarini is an informal network of social and human rights activists in India and Germany. Adivasi- Koordination in Germany is a (registered) civil society organisation and network of NGOs en- gaged in human rights and developmental acti- vities, working with the indigenous or Adivasi communities in India. As such we have taken up to initiate a process of critical review and assess- ment of the entire Rourkela experience, from the beginnings to the present day, and to set some guidelines for the future. - 3 - sarini Occasional Papers, No. 4 Adivasis of Rourkela TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS OR LOCAL NAMES 6 PART I: DOCUMENTS AND FIGURES Introduction 7 Orissa Gazette Extraordinary, Revenue Department, Notification, 16th February 1954 10 Orissa Gazette Extraordinary, Revenue Department, Notification, 22nd February 1954 11 Table 1: Acquisition of Land for Rourkela Steel Plant and residential area 12 Table 2: Acquisition of Land for Mandira Dam, 1956-57 13 Table 3: Resettlement Colonies and Reclamation Camps 14 Map: Approximate Locations of Resettlement Colonies and Reclamation Camps 15 Government of Orissa, Industries Department, PRESS NOTE (27.6.1955) 16 Appeal: To the President, Republic of India. Camp Rourkela, 19 Dated Rourkela, the 3rd February, 1959. Appeal: To Sri T.N.Singh,Honourable Minister for Iron and Steel, 22 Government of India.Camp Rourkela, Dated 13-11-1966 Orissa District Gazetteers, Sundargarh, (1975), Department of Revenue 24 Minutes of the meeting between Rourkela Steel Plant and Jhirpani Resettlement Colony 25 residents on 29.08.1981 Minutes of the meeting held on 11.03.1993 in connection with employment of local displaced 26 persons (under T.N.Singh Formulae) in Rourkela Steel Plant, Rourkela. Supreme Court of India, Civil Original Jurisdiction, Writ Petition (C) No. 167 of 1992, 28 March 30, 1995 Office of the Special Officer cum ADM, Rourkela 32 To the Addl.District Magistrate, Sundargarh, 24.12.1995 Committee of Village Lachhda, Kendro R.S.Colony A,B,C,D Blocks 36 To the Additional District Magistrate, Rourkela, dated 3-2-1997 SDDPAC To His Excellency, The Chancellor, United Federal Germany, Date: 18.7.2002 39 SDDPAC To His Excellency The Governor, The Govt. of Orissa, Date: 18.7.2002 40 SDDPAC To His Excellency, The President of India, Date: 18.7.2002 41 Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, New Delhi to SDDPAC, 20. August 2002 48 SDDPAC PRESS NOTE, Date: 13.05.2003 49 SDDPAC To His Excellency, Governor of Orissa, 9.8.2003 50 MEMORANDUM, Date: 9.8.2003 57 SDDPAC To Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Rourkela, 16. June 2004 60 SDDPAC To His Excellency, The Governor of Orissa, 16.11.2004 63 SDDPAC To His Excellency, The Governor of Orissa, 16.11.2004 66 Revenue Department, RESOLUTION No. 20075 /R., Dt. 13-5-05 69 Office of the Additional District Magistrate, Rourkela, NOTICE, [Dated 20.6.05] 71 Table 4: List of Land Losers who have not received compensation 72 - 4 - sarini Occasional Papers, No. 4 Adivasis of Rourkela PART II: INTERPRETATIONS AND ASSESSMENTS Introduction 73 J.B.Sperling Rourkela - Socio-Economic Problems of a Development Project (1963) 75 NISWASS A Report on the Study of the Kisans - Some Burning Problems (1996) 81 C. Xaxa The Life and Struggles of the Displaced Adivasis of Sundargarh 97 District in Orissa (2002) “Gyanalok” Rourkela from 1921 to 2005 120 S.Mishra Rourkela Steel Plant - A Shining Example of Indo-German Friendship 122 and Collaboration (2005) PART III: WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF INDUSTRIAL PROJECTS IN ADIVASI AREAS Introduction 126 Table 5: German and European companies 127 involved in the construction of Rourkela Steel Plant (1967) Table 6: Government of Orissa, Department of Steel and Mines 128 List of steel plant projects for which MoUs have been signed by the State Government (2005) Table 7: Ongoing and upcoming projects in Jharkhand (2005) 131 Macha Kumuti Vows to Thwart Government Plan (2005) 134 Macha Kumuti’s Appeal to the President (2005) 135 JOHAR/JMACC Massacre of Adivasis at Kalinga Nagar (2006) 136 B.D.Sharma People’s Revolt in Kalinga Nagar (2006) 144 PART IV: INTERNATIONAL LAW FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Introduction 157 ILO Convention 107 of 1957 159 U.N. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966 167 U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 175 - 5 - sarini Occasional Papers, No.