Iron Ore Project Rejected

For the lovers of the environment and the sanctity of this vicinity the good news is that a proposed mining project that would have adversely affected the Arunachala area has been summarily rejected. For earlier information on this venture check an earlier posting on Arunachala Grace here.

A Supreme Court panel (CEC) rejected the proposed joint venture iron ore mining venture submitted by JVSL (Jindal Vijayanagar Steel Ltd) and Tidco (Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corp Ltd). The joint venture was to sell iron ore produced at reserved forests in Tiruvannamalai and Salem Districts to Southern Iron and Steel Co. Ltd (Siscol), to manufacture pig iron and coke.

CEC said in its report:

“…the permission sought for the felling of 222,397 trees of spontaneous growth in 325 hectares of reserved forest in district Thiruvannamalai for the implementation of the iron ore mining and pelletization project by Tamil Nadu Iron Ore Mining Corp. Ltd or Timco may not be granted.”

The Supreme Court panel also pointed out that the regional office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests too had recommended that the project not be cleared. In terms of environmental impact, CEC said implementation of the project could affect water and air quality in Salem. And in Tiruvannamalai, it noted that the forest area has

“several species of endangered flora and fauna” and “the use of 325 hectares of undisturbed reserved forest for iron ore mining and pelletization project far outweighs the financial benefits that may accrue by way of reduced cost of raw material for Tamil Nadu...”

The Ministry of Environment and Forests cannot give any clearances in relation to the project unless approved by the Supreme Court so now the only option remaining for the joint venture group is that they file an appeal with the Supreme Court against the recommendations of the CEC.

Its too earlier for us to open the champagne bottles in victory but perhaps not too early to bring them up from the cellar in preparation . . .

For a fuller newspaper report check this link here.

Kali Yuga

Poll elections for upcoming elections for the Tiruvannamalai Lok Sabha will be focussed on issues such as proposed mining activities around the Tiruvannamalai Hills and the launching of industrial units in such places as Chengam. To find out more about the iron ore controversy currently underway in Tiruvannamalai refer to this earlier posting.

Whether or not this mining enterprise actually materialises, the fact that discussions are already well advanced about the possibility of iron ore mining around the sacred Tiruvannamalai Hills, is indicative of the immense greed of our society in this Kali Yuga. To illustrate the significance of this time, I include below an illustrative story about this period in which ‘people will stoop to any depths to get wealth.’

Kali Yuga

“Satya Yuga and Treta Yuga had ended and it was the Dwarapa Yuga. Only one month remained for Dwarapa Yuga to end and after that would begin the age of the Kali Yuga. Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahesh and Dharma Raj went to Kali and said, “Your age, the Kali Yuga will begin after one month. How will this new age be? What will be your influence on it? “I will tell you now that during my time wealth will reign supreme. There will be treachery and fraud. People will stoop to any depths to get wealth.”

Before Kali could say anymore, the Gods witnessed the following scene: A merchant was holding a large copper vessel filled with treasure. He said to the Brahmin, “After I bought your house, I found this vessel filled with treasure. I think your forefathers must have buried it in the house. Therefore, it belongs to you.” The Brahmin said, “This treasure is not mine. As, I sold the house to you, along with the earth below it and the sky above it. Therefore, whatever you get from it, belongs to you alone.” “No,” said the Merchant, “It belongs to you.” “Of course not,” argued the Brahman, “It belongs to you only.” Soon the argument turned into a quarrel between the Merchant and the Brahmin.

At last they decided to give the treasure away to the Village Head. But even the Village Head refused to accept the treasure. So they went to the King, and said, “Your Highness, this treasure does not belong to anyone. So please deposit it in the State Treasury.” But even the King refused to deposit it in the State Treasury. After a long debate, it was decided to keep the treasure with a money lender for a month.

Everybody there present said, “We will think about this after a month.” And in their presence the money lender buried the treasure deep in the ground. One month passed and the Kali Yuga had begun. And with the beginning of the Kali Yuga, the merchant thought, “I found the treasure in my house, so it belongs to me.” Meanwhile the Brahmin thought, “The treasure was buried by my forefathers so it belongs to me.”

The Village Head thought, “Neither the Merchant nor the Brahmin wanted the treasure so it belongs to the Village. We can use the money to have a lavish feast for the village. And by hosting the feast I can make some money.” The King thought, “The people have no right over any treasure. Whatsoever is found under the ground belongs to the King.”

And so with the beginning of Kali Yuga, everybodies way of thinking changed. Their intentions were no longer noble. They became selfish, greedy and dishonest. As decided earlier, the work of digging up the treasure began in the presence of all who had taken part in the debate about the treasure. When the vessel containing the treasure was pulled out and opened, everybody was shocked and surprised as the casket was only full of charcoal. Kali said to the Gods, “Did you see that? The money lender cheated everyone. Did you see my influence?

. . . During the Kali Yuga, all go on pilgrimages, meditate, perform penances and fast to show they are virtuous . . . But very few speak the truth.”

[Adapted from Vikramaditya stories]

Ore Mining, Tiruvannamalai District

A newspaper report today stated that:

“Thousands of farmers in 10 villages around Kavuthi Malai and Vediappan Malai in Tiruvannamalai District are determined not to let the government give the go-ahead for the proposal for mining of iron ore in the hills. They are not ready to lose their idyllic lifestyle and be uprooted from the land to which they have a cultural mooring. “One needs to know the significance of the hills and its role in shaping the lives of the farmers to understand our anger’, says a farmer from Andiyur. “Vediappan (after whom one of the hills is named) is our ‘kuladeivam’ (family deity).”

The collective anger was palpable when over 1,000 villagers attended the public hearing conducted by the District Administration on December 27th last, to elicit the local community’s views on the proposal for mining in 325 hectares of forestland (a hectare is 2.27 acres). “These two hills have provided us the sustenance when the rest of the District was reeling under famine,” says a resident of Ponakkadu. ‘During droughts, we collect ‘kolakattis’ (stone pounded to make kolam powder) from the hills and sell them in Thiruvannamalai town’ say a group of farmers.

In the District that does not have a perennial river, it is the water from the hills that is harnessed by farmers for irrigation and domestic use. “All irrigation ponds in the 10 villages are at the foot of these hills and they serve as catchment areas, helping us to cultivate cash crops like kanagambaram, marigold, jathimalli and other flowers, besides two crops of paddy a year,’ says a panchayat official. A government officer at the collectorate confirms it, saying that water supply from the Sathanur dam is only for 90 days a year.

The effects of iron ore mining

Stating that a farmer cultivating 50 acres of land makes, on an average, Rs 1.20 lakh, an official from Periyapalayapattu village panchayat, asks: “Do you want us to give up all this and migrate to some parched land elsewhere and suffer?” The hills, with expansive grazing space, also provide fodder for the cattle and the forests are a source for firewood. “Women in Andiyur village sustain themselves by collecting firewood from Kavuthi Malai and selling a bundle for Rs 150,” says a woman of the village. The government officer also fears that Thiruvannamalai would turn into a desert if miners use water from Sathanur dam.”

Map of iron ore mining India

Well and good if thousands of understandably irate farmers are able to prevent ore mining in the Tiruvannamalai Hills. However, one wonders how the situation has been allowed to come to this point particularly as Tiruvannamalai is a famous pilgrimage spot, developing tourist area and currently involved in huge reforestation programmes that are financed by foreign countries and domestic and overseas NGOs.

“JWS Steel plans to tap 41.78 percent low-grade magnetite quartz ore by putting up mining facilities and beneficiation and pelletization plants. One million tonnes of iron ore will be tapped per annum after ‘clearing’ 2.20 lakh trees of 15 girths.

This apart, lakhs of other trees, including those grown under a Japanese government-funded project in the last four years, would be felled, a forest official said. The forest is home for indigenous flora and fauna and endangered species like Monitor Lizard, Pangolin, Deer and Porcupine, he added.

Since the mining involves drilling and blasting, as mentioned in the Rapid Environment Impact Assessment (REIA) report, it would cause air and water pollution too. Though the report specifies pollution abatement measures, it is impossible to prevent the iron ore dust from polluting the air in a minimum of eight-km radius, posing a threat to the Girivalam around the Thiruvannamalai hills, said an officer at the Collectorate. He added that tippers would be used to transport the pelletization materials, disrupting the tranquility of the hills.

The project would bring no jobs for the locals but would displace lakhs of farmers in the 10 villages around the two hills, said an environment activist.”

I recently visited an area about 10 miles south of the Hill which is being heavily mined for granite – it was not a pretty site as surrounding farms are gray from granite dust and the pretty rustic area is severely scarred by granite extraction. Iron ore mining is far more intrusive – the whole situation beggars belief and makes one wonder, ‘What are they thinking?’

As well as the hazards and consequences of ‘authorized’ iron ore mining, places such as Goa also suffer from illegal iron ore activity:

“. . .connivance of forest and mines departments in allowing such illegal extraction accused forest department officials of protecting illegal mines in the reserve forests and wild life sanctuaries of the State.”

Lets hope the farmers and activists win – otherwise the area has a dusty and ‘dry’ future to look forward to!

Tiruvanamalai and Salem Districts Mining

Farmers and environmentalists are fighting an iron-ore mining project at Kanchamalai in Salem. Farmers with their families converged on the District Forest Office at Salem yesterday (Tuesday, June 17th, 2008) to file individual applications, seeking details of the proposed project to mine iron-ore from the pristine surroundings of the Kanchamalai hills by a joint venture company floated by Tamil Nadu Industrial Minerals Corporation Ltd (TIMCO) and the private steel major Jindals.

The magnetite ore to be mined is to be used for manufacturing iron ingots at the Mecheri plant of the South India Iron and Steel Co Ltd (SISCOL), a Lakshmi Mills-TN government JV taken over by the Jindals.

The applications contained five questions pertinent to the project and the Forest Department’s response to the forest clearance petitions filed by the company, besides the department’s EPA (Environmental Impact Assessment) documents.

The ravages of iron ore mining

According to official sources, TIMCO and SISCOL joint venture wants 1,000 acres of mineral-rich hills in two places in Tamil Nadu. While 638 acres is sought at Kanchamalai, revered for the indigenous medical practitioners and rich herbs, 330 acres has been asked for at Tiruvannamalai District (Vediappanmalai/Kauthimalai). Around 90,000 trees at Kanchamalai and 200,000 trees in Tiruvannamalai District will be felled if the project is cleared by the Forest Department.

Indicating that the Forest department has given its green signal for the project (which it rejected earlier), officials said, “Things are no more in our hands but with the Supreme Court, which sent a Committee on May 29th and 20th to Kanchamalai to make a report.”