Odisha Church discusses mining, migration

Industrialists are the main cause of troubling to the development indigenous people.

Jharsuguda:  Top leaders of the Church in Odihsa say mining and related industries in the tribal areas of the state continue to displace people, pushing them to poverty and migration.

Bishop Niranjan Sual Singh of Sambalpur said it was "extremely important" for the Church to study the situation in order to "bring about peace, justice and dignity in society.

He was opening a May 19-20 workshop in Jharsuguda, organized by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) Office for Justice, Peace and Development in collaboration with Odisha Forum, a voluntary organization.

"Due to development purpose, industrialists come to tribal areas. Industrialists are the main cause of troubling to the development indigenous people.”

He said heavy mining has the greatest effects on human, animals and plants. Rapid mining has been the foremost contributor to environmental degradation and pollution. The tribal people are fully dependent on their land for livelihood.

"Sadly, heavy mining has brought big challenge for the tribal and Dalit people in society. The church must be convinced, compassionate and inspired to bring about change. It must be an agent of change.”

Dayamani Barla, tribal lady activist from Jharkhand started her talk saying that today the entire country is fighting for peace, justice, development and harmony.

"When the indigenous people are displaced in the name of development, their culture, history and identity gets exploited, destroyed, finished off,” said Barla. “We are like soldiers in our own land. It is our great duty and responsibility to fight for our human rights, to fight for our tribal rights and avail justice," she said.

Fr. Savari Raj, Director of Chetanalaya, social service wing of Delhi Archdiocese, said Tribal, Dalit and minorities, who are migrated or trafficked to cities like New Delhi are also exploited. "They are not paid full salary, sexually abused and don’t get proper health care," he said seeking ways prevent this women trafficking.

Fr. Charles Irudayam, secretary of CBCI Office for Justice, Peace and Development, dealt said the Church is mandated to protect human rights and to educate its members about the dignity, liberty and equality of all humans. Respect for human rights is the requisite for peace.

Fr. Ajay Kumar Singh, director Odisha Forum, presented political environment impacting Tribal and Dalit in India. Religious minorities including Adivasi, Dalit, Muslim, Christian Dalit would form around 34 percentage of the population. "There is no single representative of these groups among Supreme Court and High Court Judges.

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