M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, April 23: The ‘pad yatra’ (foot march) against the Netarhat field firing range entered into its third day today, said the central secretary of the Kendriya Jan Sangharsh Samiti (KJSS) Jerome Gerald Kujur. The march began from Tutuwa Pani on April 21.
Jerome Gerald Kujur said the march is peaceful and democratic. Around 175 people always remain in the march. Village children also join but for short steps only.
“Villagers offer us water-rich fruits like cucumber, melon etc to beat summer exhaustion. They also give us drinking water. We do not tax villagers for food. We prepare it ourselves. There are volunteers on the vehicles too with the marchers,” Jerome said.
There is an atmosphere of hope that this pad yatra will yield positive result and that is the issue of the Netarhat field firing range lingering since 1991 will be shut and closed for once and all.
Jerome said so far there has arisen no health emergency. There is no case of over exhaustion or sun stroke.
No marching is done after 10 in the morning and one gets ready for supper at 8 at night. He said out of the 175 kilometre stretch between Tutuwa Pani and Raj Bhawan, nearly 100 kms stand covered in the ongoing third day.
The protesters against the Netarhat field firing range are to sit before the Raj Bhawan in Jharkhand capital Ranchi on April 25. This long march is to put to annul or withdraw or dissolve the notification for the Netarhat field firing range which is valid till May 11.
The protest against the field firing range is for two causes. One is the ‘Visthapan’ (displacement) of as many villages as 245 falling in Latehar and Gumla districts. Second is against the onslaught on the tradition and culture of the tribal.
