VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, Oct 12: Hundreds of villagers including women protested silently in the Gram Sabha organised by Adani Enterprises on Wednesday. The Gram Sabha was called to take consent on raiyyats to start the process of land acquisition for the setting up of mines.
Adani Enterprises was allotted the Gondalpura coal block in Barkagaon by the union government. Nabard consultancy agency, which has been assigned the work to take up social impact assessment here, tried to convince the villagers by telling them that this project will change the fate of the area.
The protesters started reaching here at 3 am and said they are against this project. They said they had taken a decision on Oct 7 in a Gram Sabha only that they are not in the favour of this project and so there is no question of giving the land.
Flashing placards with written slogans like ‘Adani wapas jao’, the villagers said they had informed the governor, chief minister and other officials about their decision taken in the Oct 7 Gram Sabha.
The district administration has made proper security arrangements in the area with officials seen convincing villagers telling them that this is a big project for the area and it will ensure rapid development of this area. A few villagers started raising slogans including “jungle zamin hamara hai”, “gramino ko visthapit karna band karo”, “vikas ke nam par prakriti ko barbad karna band karo” and “Gram Sabha ko radd karo.”
The officials were seen telling the protesters that they came here for them and wanted to know about their problems and demands. But the protesters said they don’t want to talk and what they want to say is all written on their placards.
