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E D I
T O R I
A L
Women
Fight for a Cause

We see here faces of a few dauntless
women of the Nuagaon village of Orissa who appeared at a
media conference in Bhubaneswar for an outstanding
cause. "Come what may we will not allow ourselves to be
displaced", they declared.
They were protesting against the proposed
the mega steel plant to be set up by POSCO on their
land, which would render them
homeless.
They made an interesting revelation to
the media. They said that they had "kept" their husbands
in their home and were themselves leading the movement
against the steel plant as they feared repressive action
by the police against their husbands. Their apprehension
had valid ground since the Orissa Government had
already deployed 12 platoons of police personnel in
their area.
"If we are at the front, the police will
not dare to touch us. If our men come to confront them,
the police will surely take strong action against them",
said Rohita Swain an activist of the women’s group, as
reported in newspapers.
"If policemen enter our village to help
POSCO take our land, they will have to kill us first. We
will no longer create barricades to block their entry,
but will ourselves stand as barriers on their way." Said
Nirupama Rout, another woman of the
group.
We salute our daring sisters of
Nuagaon village who have shown that the spirit of Oriya
women knows no bounds when it comes to serving a
great cause. It shows that when necessity
arises they can come out of their kitchens to
prove their mettle.
But while we appreciate the spirit of
this exemplary group of women, we are prompted to pause
a while to consider the extent to which the cause
for which they are fighting is justified. No
doubt their grievances need to be addressed
and resolved. But does it mean that the proposed
steel project should to be shelved for
the purpose of protecting their interest
?
There could be alternative
solutions. Let the displaced families be compensated
adequately on all terms. Besides
financial compensations they should
be provided alternative land and houses at a place
of their choice. Employment of at least one person of
each displaced family in the proposed steel plant would
also be a soothing factor. We think with
compensation packages of this nature the locals
should be prepared to co-operate in setting up of the
steel plant. Let us bear in mind that in spite of
being rich in natural resources and quality
manpower Orissa lags behind in industrialisation.
This is one of the causes of our acute poverty and
unemployment. When multinational companies are coming
forward to set up industries here staking high
investments, they need to be welcomed and encouraged.
But while setting up such industries it
is very important that the grievances of the local
population should be handled sensitively. Their sense of
hurt should be taken into account while formulating
compensation packages for them. Because no enterprise
can ever be successful if it is set up on tear-soaked
soil.
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"JAGANNATHA SWAMI NAYANA-PATHA-GAMI BHAVATU
ME" |
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IN THE AFTERNOON OF LIFE - WOMEN IN A
TRADITIONAL HOME IN PURI, ORISSA (Photo by
Lercercle) |
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