Shikeripara (Dumka), May 25: Jathu Tuddu has been missing since May 1 2002. His wife and children are on the brink of starvation.
Jathu owned a plot of land beside Dumka-Rampurhat main road near Haripurmore. He was falsely implicated in a mine blast case in which two miners were killed.
Sources said Jathu was wanted by the police as the land, on which the stone quarry stood, belonged to him. Like many tribals in the region he too transferred his land to the stone quarry owners.
Rapid transformation of tribal lands into private stone quarries in Shikaripara block in Dumka district has resulted in an increase in mine mishaps, besides posing environmental and health hazards.
According to CPI leader and president of Jharkhand state stone workers union (JSSWU) Upendra Prasad Chourisia, who recently visited the districts of Santhal Parganas, stone quarry mafia with help from the mining department are engaged in illegal mining.
He alleged that different acts like Mine Act 1952, Mines Rule 1955, 3 Mines Regulation Act 1961 and 4 by-law were being violated in different districts of Santhal Parganas.
Chourisia said the quarry owners earn a huge profit but pay a meagre amount to the tribals.
Illegal mining has also threatened the environment. The quarry owners are allegedly involved in large-scale deforestation. Even health problems like breathing difficulty, and other chest ailments have been reported.
Maximum number of stone quarries have encroached upon the busy Dumka-Rampurhat road, resulting in accidents due to explosions.
The stone quarries have mushroomed in Chitragariya, Benagaraiya, Sarashdandal, Haripurmore, and Kulkulidangal area in the block, where more than 260 units are functioning illegally, police said.
Most of the quarry owners do not have licenses to use powerful detonators. Recently, two people died in Haripurmore after a detonator exploded.
Sources said the quarry owners get away with illegal activities as they are hand-in-glove with the police and mining officials.
At a meeting in Pakur the JSSWU had given a memorandum to the quarry owners associations and urged them to adopt safety measures.
The union also demanded a probe by a mine safety inspector, registration of all labourers, clearance of dues, implementation of the wage board and basic civic amenities for the 45,000-odd labourers working in the region.
Chourisia alleged that the stone quarries violated the Santhal Parganas Tenancy Act (SPTA) which does not permit transfer of tribal land to outsiders.
He cited examples wherein mining officials of Dumka have given lease orders of tribal land to contractors. “These callous officials have added to the miseries of people like Jathu Tuddu, And no one bothers to do anything fo them,” he said.
CPI(ML) demand: The CPI(ML) today demanded postponement of recruitment tests for primary teachers and immediate release of pro-domicile policy activists.
It has also lent its support to the Jharkhand bandh. The party’s lone MLA, Mahendra Singh, alleged that the Arjun Munda government was trying to spark tension in the state on the pretext of the recruitment of primary teachers.
He said the BJP was trying to cause a rift among the tribals for personal gain. At the all-party meeting held on December 26, it was unanimously resolved that the tribals should be given the class III and IV jobs on the basis of the 1932 settlement of land records, 1952 voters’ list, refugee certificates issued to the migrants after Partition.
following India - Pakistan division
were declared as the bases for determining the local native status.
