"Timely medicine, saved my son", Majhi

Conflicting statements have always puzzled people generate the curiosity to find the truth. Of late, I have been reading a lot about human right’s issues, pollution, concern for environment, NGO’s allegating industries globally and the melting of glaciers. Being in India and deeply concerned about Indian issues, I decided to take a call on Vedanta's Lanjigarh, Niyamgiri issue. Traveling via Raipur and road to Lanjigarh was an experience. As I reached Lanjigarh finding Vedanta Industry was never difficult. I could coordinate with a local who took me on route to the Vedanta Lanjigarh Factory.

My local Guide name was "Majhi". My conversation started with a series of queries as when this factory Started? What is the issue? Why so much controversy? and Why only NGOs that also International NGOs taking so much interest in Indian Industries? TATA's in Singur, Reliance in Uttar Pradesh and POSCO in Orissa are other names that always puzzled me. The way Tata's , Vedanta , Reliance, Aditya Birla, Godrej, Mahindra's and Mittal's , have shaped India into a Global force, no doubt the world is taking a strong presence of India in international scenario.

Majhi told me that there are basically two issues one, people who need development of Lanjigarh and the second, who desperately wish to stop every positive thing happening in Lanjigarh. Majhi said, "I have seen the poverty in Lanjigarh. My son had no food for two days and was suffering from high fever, Malaria. No doctor, no medicine, I almost lost my son. when in night my friend 'Tudu' came with a Health Jeep with a doctor and medicine, my son was saved. Later, I came to know that this Jeep was Mobile Health Van of Vedanta”. I was surprised by his statement. Here a poor villager was talking about medical facility at door-step by Vedanta. I wanted to know more about the Infrastructure development in terms of Roads, Bridges, Community Centers etc. He asked me to stop the car and showed me the bridge we were crossing and said, "this Bridge you are crossing has been made by Vedanta. Everybody uses and still they talk against the company. They cannot go to the market without crossing this Bridge”.

We realized that we reached the Factory. A neat, clean and tidy place, here I was standing in front of one of the most talked about factories in the World. I asked Majhi to take me for a round as I wanted to see the forest, the river, and of course the much talked about pollution. We walked and Majhi made me sit in a small shop for a village tea. Other villagers were also sitting there, they all knew about Vedanta. With a little conversation I could find that they were employed youth, perhaps came for a little break. One of them 'Janak' told me that he was employed by Vedanta and he has a regular job. Proudly he said”I have build this Factory”.

Majhi told me all these 7 people work in Vedanta factory. I wanted to see the forest and also the stream, that Vedanta factory was polluting. Majhi replied “what pollution?? People misunderstand hot streams as gas leakage. Human waste in river is told as factory pollution. People in Lanjigarh want to come out of poverty. We have been living in poverty with no food, no drinking water and no schools for our children. When something is changing people from outside Lanjigarh come and create a problem”.

There must be something, why everyone is talking about. I decided to take entire round of the Vedanta factory it was getting late and we decided to meet at the same tea stall tomorrow.



The Journey Continues.........