A Paradise LostTribes of Jharkhand fight against Uranium Mining

A Report on

The Impacts of New Uranium Mines in Jharkhand

Tarun Kanti Bose

PT George

This study was supported by Global Green Grants Fund

&

Popular Education and Action Centre (PEACE)

PT GeorgeCurrently, George is the Director of Intercultural Resources, a centre for research, documentation and intervention which is based in Delhi. He is also the governing board member of Human Resources Development Foundation. He has been writing on social issues for the print media as well as for online publications. He is associated with several social movements in India and documents issues of peoples struggles combating the mainstream development. He is also keenly interested in photography. Tarun Kanti BoseTarun Kanti Bose is an avid writer and a professional editor, whose ear is on the ground. He has been writing on a vast range of issues of critical importance, be it social, economic, environmental, indigenous or nuclear. For the last three decades he has been painstakingly doing field work in the Adivasi areas, writing on their issues and trying to empower them, to regain their indigenous rights. He has been part of many social and political struggles. He also conducts media workshops to empower young writers especially the youth from marginalised communities.

Authors Profile

A Paradise LostTribes of Jharkhand fight against Uranium Mining

A Report on

The Impacts of New Uranium Mines in Jharkhand

Tarun Kanti Bose

PT George

PT GeorgeCurrently, George is the Director of Intercultural Resources, a centre for research, documentation and intervention which is based in Delhi. He is also the governing board member of Human Resources Development Foundation, He has been writing on social issues for the print media as well as for online publications. He is associated with several social movements in India and documents issues of peoples struggles combating the mainstream development. He is also keenly interested in photography. Tarun Kanti BoseTarun Kanti Bose is an avid writer and a professional editor, whose ear is on the ground. He has been writing on a vast range of issues of critical importance, be it social, economic, environmental, indigenous or nuclear. For the last three decades he has been painstakingly doing field work in the Adivasi areas, writing on their issues and trying to empower them, to regain their indigenous rights. He has been part of many social and political struggles. He also conducts media workshops to empower young writers especially the youth from marginalised communities.

Authors Profile

A Paradise LostTribes of Jharkhand fight against Uranium Mining

A Report onThe Impacts of New Uranium Mines in Jharkhand

Authored by:

Tarun Kanti BosePT George

2013

Contents

Acknowledgements 03

Introduction 04

Jharkhand: The Adivasi struggle to survive 05

Historic struggle of the Adivasis in Jharkhand 06

Nuclear Power 09

Uranium Mining and Milling in Jharkhand 12

Radiation Wreaking Havoc 15

Displacement and Rehabilitation 21

Protest Continues.... 28

Conclusion 29

Besides our efforts, the success of this study was largely dependent on the encouragement and guidance of

many experts, friends and well-wishers. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all those who

have been instrumental in the successful completion of this study. We would like to show our greatest

appreciation to Popular Education & Action Centre (PEACE), for their support and guidance. We would like to thank Benny Kuruvilla, Anil Chaudhary and Wilfred D'Souza for their continuous support and supervision during this study.

Several people have been instrumental in the completion of this study. We would like to express our

gratitude to, Kumarchand Mardi, Joe Athialy, Afsar Jafri, Dr. Surendra Gadekar, Dr. Sangamitra Gadekar,

Radhey Shyam Bisht, Dr. Abhijit Das, Xavier Dias, Sunil Minz, Philip Kujur, Sunder Murmu, Kavita

Murmu, Thomas Sundi, Arjun Samad, Bir Singh Sinku, Ramesh Jerai, Balram, Arvind Anjum, Fr. Halan

Bodra, Sr. Thomasina, John Bara, Rema N. and several others for their kind co-operation and

encouragement.

Acknowledgements

3

In an era of devastating impacts of climate change in countries across the world, India struggles to reduce its 1

carbon emission and produce cheap energy to sustain its GDP . Currently, India places extraordinary

emphasis on nuclear energy in order to meet its scaling energy demands. The recent mushrooming of nuclear

power plants across the country has raised many questions regarding the huge costs, the safety aspects and

the ever-increasing fears about nuclear proliferation and nuclear threat, not only to the people of India but

the entire South Asia. Large scale protests have erupted at almost all the nuclear sites questioning the land

acquisitions, loss of livelihood and the safety aspects of the nuclear power plants.

Uranium exploration, mining, milling and processing are the "front end" of the nuclear chain - usually

invisible to the public - without which neither nuclear power nor nuclear weapons could exist. The atrocities

involved in uranium mining and milling are virtually unknown to the general public outside the mining

areas. In most countries, uranium mining and nuclear energy are government controlled affairs, thus

shrouded in mystery.

India's nuclear expansion plan has resulted in the massive search for uranium (the basic raw material for

nuclear power plants) throughout the country. Uranium mines are being opened up everywhere.

Coincidently, most of the uranium mining sites in India are also homes to indigenous tribes who are unjustly 2

being displaced in the name of development. The Adivasis in Jharkhand too are being thrown out from their

ancestral lands, stripped off their identity, collective community rights and livelihood, all for the sake of

uranium mining. Several parts of Jharkhand have now been transformed into virtual battle grounds where

the Adivasis are struggling for the last vestiges of their life and identity. Excessive mining has resulted in the

depletion of natural resources, destruction of habitats, pristine forests, bio-diversity hotspots and river

systems, gradually transforming the entire landscape into a devastated wasteland.

Our quest to understand the crucial issues plaguing the indigenous communities due to development

projects, led us to the new uranium mines in the heartland of the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Here,

thousands of people have become the unfortunate

victims of mining and radiation related diseases.

This humble study is the result of six months of

fieldwork that involved intense data collection

and interaction with the affected communities.

During the fieldwork, we also had the

opportunity to interact and interview several

leaders, intellectuals and activists who are at the

forefront of Adivasi struggles, fighting for

various rights. Several UCIL (Uranium 3Corporation of India Limited) employees

belonging to different trade unions also shared

their struggles.

Introduction

4

JHARKHAND: THE ADIVASIS STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE

harkhand is the 28th state of the Indian Union, which was sliced out of Bihar on 15 November 2000 to

coincide with the birth anniversary of the legendary Adivasi leader Birsa Munda or Bhagwan Birsa JMunda. The state has a total area of 79714 sq. km and shares borders with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,

Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. Jharkhand is blessed with abundant forests (with almost 29 percent forest

cover), rivers and rich mineral resources. The mineral resources in the state include huge reserves of coal,

iron, copper, mica, granite as well as good reserves of graphite, manganese, uranium and so on. About 32

percent of India's coal is sourced from Jharkhand and about 25 percent of copper is also mined here.

As per the 2011 census, the state has a population of 32,966,238, out of which 26.50 percent are Adivasis

belonging to the Munda, Oraon, Santhal, Ho, Bhumij, Kharia, Karmali, Gond, Chick Baraik, Kisan, Sauria,

Paharia, Korwa, Kora, Paharia, Binjhia, Asur and Birhor tribes.

East Singhbhum – The contested site

The location of this study is the East Singhbhum (Land

of Lions) district, situated at the southeast corner of

Jharkhand. It is said that in the past this region used to be

the habitat of large number of lions. East Singhbhum

district has thick forest cover with almost 33 percent of

its total area covered under forest. Being part of the

Chotanagpur plateau, this region is also a reservoir of

minerals. The rampant industrialisation in the district

has resulted in large scale mining, quarrying and the

consequential deforestation, have all affected the people and the environment in a big way. Adivasis in this

region practice subsistence farming. Due to fragmentation, 83 percent of the land holdings belong to small

and marginal farmers and only a few land holdings are above 10 hectares. Soil toxicity has increased over

the years and agricultural productivity is on a decline. Farming primarily depends on good monsoon rains.

More than 44% of the population in this area lives in rural areas and practice agriculture.

In such a scenario, opening of hundreds of mines, uncontrolled quarrying of construction materials such as

granite, sandstone, limestone, gravel, and even sand, have created vast stretches of inundated terrains in the

whole district. Wastewater from the mines and quarries, suspended solids and even radioactive uranium

waste contaminate the environment and find their way into water bodies and later into river systems;

polluting and irreparably damaging the living beings and the environment.

The Adivasi communities in Jharkhand have become the victims of the developmental agenda of the state,

especially due to heavy industrialisation, extraction of minerals, forest and water resources. The struggles of 4the Adivasi communities to retain their natural resources Jal, Jungle, Zameen (Water, Forest and Land) are

nothing new and date back to several hundred years. The intensity of their struggles has catapulted to great

heights in the contemporary period, especially after the formation of the state of Jharkhand. The political

elite of the newly formed state has only corroborated the 'National Vision' and shook hands with the global

players by signing hundreds MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding ) that paved the way for new mining

leases, installation of factories and power plants all in turn have destroyed the environment and displaced the

Adivasi communities in a major way.

5

HISTORIC STRUGGLE OF THE ADIVASIS IN JHARKHAND

harkhand was once was a thick forested area in the Chotanagpur plateau, blessed with large number of

rivers, waterfalls and a reservoir of mineral wealth like bauxite, iron, gold, coal and uranium and so on. JFor centuries, the tribes in this region lived in peace and harmony and were very closely linked with

nature. There was a symbiotic relationship with forest and other living beings – including the spirit of the

ancestors. There was no private ownership of land. Natural resources were always considered as gifts of

nature, while human beings are only supposed to be their caretakers. Everything was collectively owned and

shared by the community, while disputes and conflicts were amicably settled through collective discussions.

But, during the last few hundred years, all these practices have taken a different turn due to several conflicts.

Most of the traditional norms and practices have been shattered and all the notions of collective identity and

ownership have been destroyed. The genesis of all their troubles could be pointed to the intrusion of outside

forces into the Adivasi region.

5With the arrival of the British , the Adivasi habitats that were once the abodes of peaceful and harmonious

existence now became contested locations where their collective ownership norms have been challenged.

This in turn, created confusion and conflicts in the traditional Adivasi identity. The British introduced their

own sense of private ownership and individual property rights in Adivasi areas. Together with this, the 6intrusion of money lenders and Zamindars , began the saga of exploitation that would continue for a long

time. Gradually, the Adivasis were pushed to slavery and servitude. The people who were once the guardians

and protectors of their forests and natural resources gradually became landless poor and destitute, slavering 7

either for the Zamindars or for the British. Resentments against the British and the Jagirdars also grew

simultaneously. The sense of pride and the need to regain the lost identity became strong among Adivasi

groups. Voices of dissent grew louder and the storm of revolution blew all over and ultimately, they decided

to fight back and regain the lost ground.

The first well-known struggle was waged by Baba Tilka Majhi during the period 1780-85. He led an Adivasi

revolt against the British and managed to injure a British army chief. The Adivasis fought ferociously using

traditional weapons - bows and arrows. But the British brought in more forces and ammunitions and quelled

the revolt with gun power. In 1785, Tilka Majhi was hanged to death in Bhagalpur. Although the Adivasis

fought vigorously with guerrilla tactics, they could not however, match the gun power of the mighty British

Empire. The movement suffered heavy loss and much causality. Several of the Adivasis laid down their

lives, but the survivors didn't lose courage and the will was to regain their identity. Baba Tilka Majhi was the

first Santhal Adivasi leader, to insist that the natural wealth and other resources of the Adivasi areas

belonged to the Adivasi people and the outsiders cannot control them.

It didn't take much long for the Adivasis to arm themselves for the next round of insurrection. Soon, another

rebellious storm broke out against the British colonial authority and the corrupt upper caste Zamindari

system. The Santhal Hul (Santhal Revolt), was the biggest mobilisation of the Santhals against outside

forces to end the slavery of the Adivasis. This revolt began in 1855, and was led by the four Murmu Brothers

- Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand and Bhairav and ended in January 1856. This movement also reiterated the same

demand that the Adivasi land and resources belonged to the Adivasi people. The Hul revolution united

thousands of Adivasis to win back their lost identity and collective land rights. This time too, the British

deployed heavy forces to suppress the movement, but soon realized that the Adivasis are a force to reckon

with and in order to continue to conduct business in the region, a cordial relationship with the Adivasis need

6

to be reached at. Effectively, as a kind of appeasement to the Adivasis, the British created a separate district 8

called Santhal Pargana, by the Act XXXVII of 1855 . Even though, several provisions were put in place to

protect the Adivasi resources, the plunder and loot continued unabatedly, so was rise of Adivasi resentment

against outside forces.

The next important phase of Adivasi struggle was the 'Ulgulan Movement', waged by the legendary Adivasi

leader Birsa Munda or Bhagwan Birsa Munda, during the period of 1895-1900. The Ulgulan movement

meaning 'Great Tumult' sought to liberate the Adivasis from the slavery and servitude and re-establish the

Adivasi governance. The Ulgulan movement was a continuum of the earlier movements for liberation of the

Adivasis and their resources from the Zamindars and the British operatives. According to Kumarchand

Mardi – an Adivasi leader and activist working among the displaced in Jaduguda and Turamdih – the

Ulgulan movement was one of the biggest Adivasi uprising against the British Empire. Kumarchand further

pointed out that during this movement, the combination of the terms 'Hul' and 'Ulgulan' were

interchangeably used to stress on the urgent need to liberate the Adivasis from slavery as well as regain their

identity and resources. During this movement, the whole atmosphere was filled with the great revolutionary

spirit. Under the leadership of Birsa Munda, the movement was able to garner the support of thousands of

Adivasis not only belonging to the Munda tribe but several others in the region. The movement created panic

among moneylenders, landlords, dacoits, contractors, missionaries and the British imperialists.

Samay Soren, a Adivasi activist, who works on health issues, living in Jamshedpur felt that, before the

British came to India, the forest was like 'Mother Earth' (Dharti Ma) to the Adivasis. All natural resources 9

were created by Singbonga the God. Once the British arrived in Chotanagpur region, 'Western' notions of

private property, forest laws and several other rules & regulations were introduced. These new laws and

regulations stripped the Adivasis of their natural rights and the onslaught on their culture and resources

became all the more vigorous with the penetration of private money lenders into Adivasi areas. The British,

diabolically encouraged the outsiders, especially the Zamindars and money lenders in the Adivasi belt to

extract revenue and resources. Introduction of foreign liquor in the Adivasi region gradually converted

many innocent Adivasis into alcohol addicts and destroyed the peace and harmony of the already pauperised

Adivasi families.

10The Arrival of TATA (Total Appropriation of Tribal Assets)

The struggles of the Adivasis continued for a long time. The indigenous communities in the Chotanagpur

region, who were earlier the protectors of Jal, Jungle, Zameen now became displaced victims, landless and

poor. When Industrialisation and the development of railways were in full swing, the demand for natural

resources and forest produces became stronger. The Tata, a major private player in the field of

Industrialisation process in India, began establishing its enterprises in the Chotanagpur region. Easy

availability of cheap raw materials for their upcoming steel plant was their main aim in entering this region.

The Tata found that the geographical belt of Chotanagpur region had abundant forests, plenty of mineral

wealth and sufficient water resources, enough to sustain them for several hundred years to come. But there

were legal hurdles that stood on the way from directly occupying the Adivasi land. During this time, the

Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act was also being formulated by the British, to control the Adivasi resources

being exploited by the outsiders and give more autonomy to local governance.

Faisal Anurag, a senior Journalist and Columnist, who is actively involved in indigenous Adivasi struggles 11emphasised that, The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act (CNT) was already geared up for implementation in the

7

year 1905. But in the Chotanagpur region, the Tata wanted land for mining iron ore and found that the Act, if

implemented early, would hamper the land acquisition, mining and the installation of the Tata Steel Plant. So

Jamshedji Tata influenced the British and ensured that the CNT Act was not implemented until Tata

completed the land acquisition for the Tata Steel Plant. The Tata got the land they wanted and the Act was

implemented in 1908. The Adivasis of the region were completely betrayed by this intervention. It took

some time for the innocent and simple Adivasis to realise that the British were hand in glove with Tata to

exploit and plunder the natural resources in the Adivasi region.

The present Tatanagar used to be a cluster of 18 notified revenue villages in the Singhbhum region and used

to be called Kalimati, where the Adivasis lived in peace and harmony for hundreds of years. Today, there are

no revenue villages in Tatanagar and there are no signs of any of the old villages or their inhabitants. What

happened to the Adivasis who lived there earlier? The original inhabitants of the 18 villages have been

dispossessed by the Tata Steel plant. Now, they live on the periphery of the city, impoverished and displaced,

eking out a miserable existence. Many of them have migrated to other areas in search of livelihood. The

deplorable and lamenting stories of Adivasi displacement in Tatanagar could be found replicated all over

Jharkhand.

The Adivasis continued to battle for their rights, even after the formation of the state of Jharkhand. The new

political leadership has now joined hands with big corporations and the industrial mafia to exploit the

remaining resources in the state. After the formation of the state, several hundred MoUs have been signed by

various governments that came to power. Hundreds of factories, thermal power plants, and other industrial

units are being established across the state. In almost all of these, the outsiders get best jobs and positions,

whereas the Adivasis continue to do manual labour, while their land and resources are mercilessly being

looted away.

8

NUCLEAR POWER

he technology to produce nuclear energy by splitting certain elements in the atoms was first

developed in the 1940s, primarily used for manufacturing bombs. A decade later, the attention was Tdiverted to more 'peaceful' use of nuclear energy, especially for the production of electricity. The

first commercial nuclear power stations also began operation during this period. Today, the nuclear fission

technology has undergone enormous development and there are more than 430 nuclear power reactors

operating in 31 countries, roughly producing around 13.5 percent of the global energy requirements albeit

with hundreds of cases of radiation leaks, major accidents, explosions, radiation related diseases and heavy

environmental pollution.

India's Nuclear Ambitions

Recently, India has revived its nuclear energy programme to meet its ever-rising energy demands. On the

one hand, energy consumption in India has almost tripled during the period of 1990 to 2009. On the other,

studies have shown that more than 300 million people in India have no access to electricity and more than 6

percent of the urban population is also not connected by power. At present, thermal power chiefly using coal

provides about 68 percent of the electricity, while natural gas and hydropower provides 12 percent each and

nuclear energy was a meagre 2.3 percent.

12In spite of such meagre contribution by nuclear power, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which is

directly under the control of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has been making high predictions and

setting big targets for nuclear achievements. The first such prediction was made in the late 50s, that by the

year 1980, India would have a capacity of 8000 MW of power produced by nuclear power plants. In 1962,

there was another prediction that nuclear energy would generate 20–25,000 MW by 1987. In 1969 the 13

Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) predicted that by the year 2000, India would have a capacity to

produce 43,500 MW of nuclear generating capacity. All the while, the reality was quite different. In 1979,

India could only produce a meagre 600 MW of electricity from nuclear power and by the year 1987, there

was a marginal increase in this to 950 MW. By the year 2007, in spite of all tall claims and mammoth

predictions, the nuclear power's capacity was just 3,310 MW which was less than 3 percent of total power

generated in this country. The story of high ambitions, huge predictions, abundant funding and the

benevolence of being directly under the control of the PMO continues even now.

Nuclear is not merely Energy

Focusing only on the question of energy actually dilutes the entire debate on nuclear issue. Simply, it is only

one aspect of the whole gamut of the nuclear science, as pointed out by Xavier Dias, a senior anti-nuclear and

human rights activist. Further he added that the whole debate about the nuclear science and the nuclear

industry should be taken beyond issues of energy, because there is hardly any discussion in the public

domain on larger issues related to nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants and other nuclear installations. It is

now a well established fact - which nucleocrats won't agree - that the future major destruction to humankind,

is going to be from radiation at different levels in the lives of people. Radiation could happen not only from

nuclear reactor or from uranium mine, but from a variety of other sources. In India, since there are no norms

for minimum safety standards, the radiation in small doses happens not only in the uranium mining areas but

has also reached in the urban areas and into our homes. Today, it is a well known fact that granite stone

9

releases Radon, a radioactive gas. In the United States, it has proved that Radon gas is found in homes all

over the country. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water and gets into the air

you breathe. In fact, many of the churches and old institutions in Europe are closing down because of high

Radon content. In India, the granite stones are abundantly used for constructions. Do people know where

these granite stones come from? For example, in the construction industry in and around Jamshedpur, these

stones could be procured from the uranium mine waste. Thus, the granite stones enter our homes through

flooring, reinforced concretes (what is commonly called as RCC) which continuously emit low doses of

Radon.

As modern construction is done in such a way that there is no outlet for Radon, because when the door is

closed the Radon is trapped inside and circulates in the room. Since Radon is heavier than air, it can't go out.

Children crawl on the floor; people walk barefoot in their homes, gradually welcoming low doses of Radon

radiation into their lives, without their knowledge.

Another case in point is the use of fly ash for manufacturing bricks. There is no regulation about it. Thermal

power plants want to get rid of it and allow whoever wants to take it away for whatever reason. It is a well-

known fact that that fly ash has very high concentration of radioactive particles. Without being aware of this,

brick manufacturing companies now abundantly use fly ash for manufacturing bricks. Thus, we welcome

radiation emitting particles directly into our bedrooms and living rooms.

In India, there is an institution called Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). But has anyone ever heard

of this institution doing a study on Radon? Whereas, it is mandatory in the USA to periodically check the

Radon emission in homes and institutions. In the West, when one buys a house, first thing he/she does is to

get the Radon radiation checked. Similarly, in the production of steel which is abundantly used in

constructions in India, the radioactive particles also get in during the smelting process.

Consequently, the amount of radiation from a wide variety of sources that people are subjected to, make

them susceptible to several diseases. Ultimately, the future generation is going to be weaker than the present

one and more susceptible to cancer and other diseases due to radiation. Together with this, the industrial

farm products which use heavy doses of pesticides and chemicals enter into our food chain without our

knowledge. When all these things are added up, they create a big threat to humanity.

It should now formally be accepted that it is not only the Adivasis who are in danger, but humanity as a

whole. The death certificates of the Adivasis are already signed, along with the rest of the people of this

country. Our preoccupations in this country are on issues of hunger, poverty, unemployment, gender, caste

etc., whereas, the issues of radiation are not that important in our lives and have not been discussed in the

public domain, because we are ignorant about them. As far as our awareness about radiation is concerned,

we are at the same stage when the people of Jaduguda were, in the late 1980s. When several Adivasi children

died in Jadugoda during the 80s, the innocent Adivasis there complained that their babies were eaten away

by evil spirits. They also believed that because of the influence of the evil spirit, they were afflicted by all

kinds of diseases. At that time, the people in Jaduguda had no idea of radiation or uranium. So they believed

in the evil spirit story.

Deceitful Nuclear Industry

When one looks at the character of the present day global economy and how it has been shaped up, one finds

that the character of the nuclear industry is one of the most deceitful in the world. The nuclear industry has its

10

own scientists to back up the deceits. Historically, Japan has been one country that maintained some moral

consciousness as a nation. Unfortunately, in the recent Fukushima incident now you may hear that, the

Fukushima Daiichi Company had asked the workers to lie regarding the radiation readings. The company

ordered the workers to cover the radiation counter meter with lead sheets so that, the meter does not show

high readings, because lead sheets do not allow the radiation to pass through. So, this is a clear example that

even in a country like Japan which has high moral standards, you have an industry that is engaged not only in

deceits but purposely engaging in criminal acts. If this is happening in Japan, what can one expect from

India's nuclear industry?

Why is the nuclear industry so deceitful? Why this industry is engaged in criminal act of concealment of

information that is scientific? If one industry comes transparent, it blows the cover of the secrecy of the

nuclear science. As such, there is nothing safe in uranium mining, in transporting the ore, in processing it,

getting it converted into fissile materials that could be readily used either for the power plant or for the

production of nuclear weapons.

11

URANIUM MINING AND MILLING IN JHARKHAND

n the last several decades, there has been a boom in uranium exploration, new mining projects as well as

expansion of the existing ones. The arguments often given for the new uranium mines are that there is an Iurgent need to augment the increasing demand for nuclear fuel for the several new power plants that are

coming up. Another argument is that, nuclear power will be the saviour of India's energy crisis and that it is a

"clean" alternative to fossil fuels in an era of climate change.

The four most promising uranium mining in India are situated in Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Karnataka and

Andhra Pradesh. With a modest uranium resources, India's reasonably assured capacity is about 54,000 tons

and 23,500 tons as estimated additional resources in situ. Mining and processing of uranium is carried out by

the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (UCIL), a subsidiary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Presently, it operates several underground and open cast mines. This study covers three new uranium mining

sites in Jharkhand.

Turamdih Uranium Mine and Mill

The Turamdih Uranium mine is located just 5 kilometres away from Tata Nagar railway station. The mine

was commissioned in 2003. The Turamdih Uranium Mill started its operation in 2007 processing about 3000

tonnes of uranium ore per day. It processes the ore extracted from the Turamdih and Mohuldih mines.

Several villages around the Turamdih mine and the mill are displaced and are on the verge of collapse due to

the impacts of mining, waste dumping, radiation and several other issues.

Banduhurang Uranium Mine

Banduhurang Mine was commissioned in 2007. This mine is the first opencast uranium mine in India and

situated very close to Turamdih Mine and Mill. This mine uses excavators and dumpers for extracting the

uranium ore. The villages surrounding the mine are severely affected by the routine blasting, noise and dust

pollution, uranium waste dumping in to the farms and fields. Untreated waste water from the mine is let into

the river and water bodies, affecting crops. The movement of the villagers have severely been restricted

since the opening of the mine. Farming has become almost impossible in the vicinity of the mine and grazing

cattle has almost been abandoned.

Mohuldih Uranium Mine

Mohuldih Uranium Mine is located bit away from the Turamdih mine. It is situated in Gamharia block in the

district of Seraikella-Kharsawan. This mine was commissioned in 2012. The uranium ore extracted from

this underground mine is transported to Turamdih mill about 7 kilometres away, for further processing.

UCIL boats of using latest technologies and machineries in this mine to extract uranium. This mine too has

displaced several farmers, but relatively few when compared to Banduhurang and Turamdih mines.

The Uranium mining by UCIL and its parental organisation the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has

launched a two-pronged attack on the people:

First of all, the company has expropriated the livelihood of the people without considering any alternative

for the Adivasis who are primarily dependant on agriculture;

12

Secondly, uranium mines cause radiation and it impacts human beings, animals, plants and the environment

and;

Thirdly, there is an alarming rate of human right violations on the people who are affected by mining,

especially the Adivasis and members of the civil society groups that protest any such violations.

In areas like Jaitapur, Kudankulam where the nuclear power plants are coming up, the DAE is taking land

away from the people. Here it is a question of land grabbing and at the same time committing human rights

violations over organisations resisting such take-over. Another important issue is the construction of large

projects dealing with massive possibilities of radiation, dangerous to humanity and ecology.

Land Acquisition for Uranium Mines

While interacting with several village leaders and displaced victims, it unravelled the fact that for the three

above mentioned uranium mines the UCIL has acquired land through the State government, at several

places in the East Singhbhum district. Villagers from Banduhurang informed us that, altogether 120 acres of

prime land have been taken away for the Banduhurang Mine. About 45 acres of agricultural land has been

acquired from Purihasa village. A very high land acquisition has been from Kerwadungri which has good

agricultural land. Almost 200 acres of prime agricultural land has been acquired by UCIL in Kerwadungri.

About 46 acres of land has been acquired from Turamdih village. Talsa villages (both Bada Talsa and Chota

Talsa are two villages that lie closest to the tailing pond. The villagers here parted with almost 400 acres of

land both for the mine and the tailing pond which included good grazing land, forest land and a vast stretch of

agricultural land. Other land acquisition in the area has been 219 acres from Nandup village. In Mohuldih

village, Thakur Soren, a farmer informed that 22 acres of agricultural land has been taken away by UCIL for

the mine. A good stretch of prime forest land also has been acquired for mining.

During our interaction with the members of the Turamdih Vistapit Samiti, it was revealed that around 1050

families in Nandup village under the Byanbill Panchayat are displaced by uranium mining. When the

uranium mining project was approved and the land acquisition began, there was no discussion with the local

Gram Panchayat (local self-governing institution at village level) on this issue. The state government and

the UCIL together, forcibly took away the land. The villagers have been forcibly removed from their land.

The company gave some compensation to few people amounting to Rs. 50,000 or 60000 per acre which is

far too low at the market rate. A lot of people are yet to receive any compensation. Due to some family

disputes several people were removed from the list of the displaced and could not claim any compensation,

but their land has already been acquired for mining. As far as employment for the displaced is concerned, the

UCIL employed some Adivasis to do manual work. Several Adivasis also work under various contractors.

The UCIL has a hospital in the Turamdih mine complex where their officers and other workers employed by

UCIL get regular medical check up and full treatment. But the health records are kept with the company.

Other displaced family members who do not work for the company, do not avail any health facilities from

the UCIL.

While interacting with the displaced from the Nandup village, it was revealed that nobody has been

rehabilitated so far; even those who were displaced during the land acquisition in 1984-85 are still to be

rehabilitated. Those who have been totally displaced from their land, have now set up some shelter near the

railway lines and are struggling for livelihood. A lot of displaced people, due to sheer frustration and lack of

employment opportunities have turned to brewing local alcohol, selling datun (neem stick used as

13

toothbrush) or doing odd jobs to meet their daily needs. The situation is very grave for the displaced and the

landless. There is a very high rate of unemployment, poverty, hunger and malnutrition among them.

The villagers in Nandup further recalled that before the uranium mining started in the region, each

household in the village used to keep 20 to 30 cows and goats. Whereas after the coming of the mines, one

can hardly keep one or two cows in a family, because there is no grazing land available now. Before the land

used to be community owned and there were specific areas dedicated for grazing. Now those community

lands have been taken away for the mines, stripping the Adivasis of their collective rights.

Identity crisis among the displaced Adivasis is a major issue which they confront in their day-today life. One

of the displaced Adivasis, now working in the UCIL as a miner, pointed out that earlier their identity used to

be based on their indigenous rights as Adivasis belonging to the land they lived. The situation has drastically

changed now. Since the Adivasis have lost their land and resources, now their identity is based on the

education and the certificate issued from the school. This is a major paradigm shift in terms of the norms for

the recognition of the indigenous identity of the Adivasis in Jharkhand is concerned.

14

RADIATION WREAKING HAVOC

ue to uranium mining, not only those working in the mines are adversely affected, but even the health

of their family members, the villagers and even those who are living in the UCIL colony. So there is an Durgent need for a scientific investigation into the impacts of radiation even in the new mining areas.

In the initial days, when uranium mining began in Jaduguda recalls Balram, the Jharkhand State Advisor to

Commissioner of Supreme Court on Right to Food, the people working in the mines as well as those living near

the mines started suffering from various ailments. When they went to the local hospitals, they were diagnosed

with common ailments and given medicines and sent off. There was neither proper investigation on these new

ailments nor given appropriate treatments. Later on, when a team drawn

from people's organisations, social action groups, Non-Governmental

Organisations (NGOs) and scientific community began to associate with

the uranium mining and radiation related issues. Due to their collective

efforts, two things emerged. First, the need to establish that the new

ailments were due to radiation; second, to establish that the uranium

mining area is a high radiation zone and the radiation levels needs to be

measured. When we see similar things happening to people living near

the new uranium mines, it naturally re-establishes the fact a similar study

needs to be conducted to understand the implications of new uranium

mines not only on the people working in the mines, but also the villagers who live nearby.

During our interactions with activists, villagers and experts it was made amply clear that the miners working

in UCIL's Turamdih mines and mills, Banduhurang open cast mines and Mohuldih underground mines are at

great risk, because of their continuous exposure to high concentrations of a radioactive gas called Radon-

222. According to Xavier Dias, a senior functionary of Bindrai Institute of Research Study & Action 15(BIRSA) Mines Monitoring Centre , Radon-222 is a decay product of uranium and a highly carcinogenic

alpha emitter. When inhaled it gets deposited in the air passage of lungs, irradiate cells and later become

malignant. Uranium miners are also exposed to Radium-226, another lethal uranium daughter, which is an

alpha and gamma emitter with a half life of 1,600 years. Radium-226 is an integral component of uranium

dust. If this dust is inhaled, Radium is absorbed into the body and gets deposited in the bones which in turn

cause estrogenic sarcoma, a highly malignant bone cancer, and leukaemia, because white blood cells are

manufactured in the bone marrow. Uranium daughters present in the ore emit gamma radiation too, which

emanates from the surface of the uranium mine. So, miners are constantly exposed to whole-body radiation

(like X-rays), which irradiates their bodies and even damage their reproductive organs. As a result, uranium

miners suffer from a very high incidence of cancer and other lethal diseases. Many Adivasis working in the

UCIL mines of Jaduguda, Bhatin, and Narwapahar — though it is kept as a secret — have died die to lung

cancer. What happened to those workers in the older mines would also happen to miners working in the new

mines of Banduhurang, Turamdih and Mohuldih. A deadly fate is eagerly waiting for them.

Waste Rock

The waste produced during mining is called waste rock or mine tailings, which is several times larger than

the amount of ore mined. During the fieldwork it was found that huge heaps of mine tailings have been

abandoned in Dhodanga, Kerwadungri and other villages adjacent to Banduhurang open cast mine. The

mine waste is also carelessly dumped in the paddy fields fully exposed to the air and the rain. This waste rock

also contains uranium ore and other decay products - which is too low for processing in the mill. These

15

Uranium sludge dumped near roadside

wastes also emit dangerous levels of radiation. As long as the uranium deposit was beneath the earth

undisturbed, the radiation was trapped underground. Once the ore is mined out, the waste rock piles pose

hazards to villagers and the environment: Radon gas escape into the air; ore dust gets blown by the wind; and

uranium and its decay products seep into surface water bodies and groundwater. Being radioactive and

toxic, they contaminate the environment.

Tale of a Tailing Pond

The uranium tailing pond in Talsa village is very close to Bada Talsa village where hundreds of Adivasis live. The construction of the pond began in 2005 and was completed in 2010. The nuclear waste slurry from the Turamdih Uranium Mill is dumped into this tailing pond. There are no proper barricades on all sides of the pond. Sahebram Murmu who lives on the edge of the tailing pond is of the opinion that since only one side of the tailing pond is fenced off and all the other sides are kept open it creates lots of problems for the villagers. Wild animals often get trapped in the poisonous sludge and die immediately. Often, the villagers' cattle also stray into the pond, get trapped in the poisonous sludge and die. The villagers and the experts pointed out that the Talsa Uranium Tailing pond is not constructed as per the international standards. The incidences of leakage and bund burst have occurred several times in the tailing pond and the radioactive waste overflow into the paddy fields and the low-lying areas.

thOn 18 June 2008 due to heavy rain at Talsa village, the villagers in the locality also mentioned that the outlet

of tailing pond was unplugged by the UCIL Management to save pond as it was on the verge of collapse.

Because of the high contamination and radiation, Kumarchand Mardi recalled that several quintals of fish in

the downstream Subarnarekha River perished overnight. Several hundred snakes, rats and other rodents also

died. Paddy fields turned yellowish and dried up.

Tailing Pond Sludge

After extracting uranium from the ore, the rest of the mine waste in the form of sludge is pushed into the

tailing pond. Since only uranium is removed from the ore, the sludge contains all the remaining constituents

of the ore, including the long-lived decay products of uranium. Thus the sludge also contains particles of

In the government controlled uranium mines, laws and regulations are often tossed to the wind. For example, in

the Turamdih Uranium Mine, the tailing pond is constructed right in the middle of villages where Adivasi

communities have been living for generations. The nuclear waste

is dumped straight into pond that often leaks into the paddy fields

and further flows into the river. In summer, the water in the tailing

pond dries up and the wind blows up the radioactive dust in all

directions and settles in the nearby areas. These are all highly

objectionable issues. Children often play on these dumps and

animals graze over them. There is no proper protection of the pond

with barbed wire. The tailing pond's water drains off in to the river

Subarnarekha contaminating the whole river with radiation.

Highly radioactive uranium sludge is regularly being transported

to other areas of Jharkhand, without proper protection and gets spilled all over the road.

The state Government of Jharkhand, under The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee

Act (MNREGA) scheme, is constructing around 80,000 water wells to augment the shortage of drinking

water problems. The granite stones used for the construction of the wells are obtained from the uranium

mine waste. It is a matter of serious concern that needs to be probed along with a thorough investigation on

how the wells are being constructed from uranium mine waste.

16

Uranium mine waste dumped in

Dhodanga Village

thorium-230 and Radium 226. Due to technical limitations, all the uranium present in the ore is not fully

extracted. Thus the sludge contains 5 to 10 percent of the uranium initially present in the ore.

Atomic experts believe that sludge from the uranium mine waste contains around 85 per cent of the

radioactivity of the original ore, as well as the uranium decay products such as Thorium 230, Radium 226

and Radon 222.

Uranium-234 (U234) has a life of 247,000 years and decays into Thorium-230. Whereas Thorium-230

(Th230) has a life of 80,000 years and decays into Radium-226 which has a life of 1602 years to decay into

Radon-222 (Rn-222). Radon-222 is an alpha emitter with a life of just 3.82 days and decays into Polonium-

218 which again is an alpha radiator with a life of 3.05 minutes. Thus, the sludge in the tailing pond is a

dangerous stuff which has a radioactive life of almost 8 to16,00,000 (8-16 Lakh) years — simply in human

terms, forever.

Impacts of uranium decay products on living beings

Thorium-230 is especially toxic to the liver and the spleen. It has

been known to cause leukaemia and other blood diseases. It decays

to produce radium-226, which in turn produces Radon gas, a very

powerful cancer-causing agent. Even small doses of Radon if

inhaled repeatedly over a long time can cause lung cancer. Even

though radon-222 has a comparatively short half-life of 3.8 days, its

quantity will not diminish for a long time, because it is constantly

being replenished by the decay of the very long-lived thorium-230.

The Uranium Tailing Pond in Talsa also emits Radon-222 into the

air.

Hence, the significant amount of radioactivity emitted from the tailing pond will continue for hundreds of

thousands of years. Radon gas can travel thousands of kilometres with a light breeze in just a few days and

thus affect people living very far away from the tailings pond as well.

Drs. Surendra and Sangamitra Gadekar are of the opinion that the UCIL never informs people about the

dangerous radioactivity happening in the tailing pond. They further pointed out that while conducting a

study on the impacts of the radiation on the Adivasis in Jadugoda, they had found that anyone who is

continuously exposed to Radon gas could invariably develop lung cancer. The radioactive debris from the

Jadugoda uranium mine has also polluted the underground water and the Subarnarekha River flowing

through the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. Water from this river is used for agriculture and

drinking by the people living in all these states.

The innocent Adivasis living in Talsa and the adjoining villages, who have never heard of complex scientific

words such as Thorium, Plutonium, and Radon and so on, are simply not aware of the fact that they are

continuously exposed to Radon gas and other uranium decay products. They are vulnerable to constant

radiation, which in turn will make them prone to cancer or leukaemia. A mere sight of the people living in

Turamdih village – very close to the UCIL mine and the tailing pond – makes it amply clear that the

radiation is taking a terrible toll on their lives. Most of the villagers look frail, sick, suffering and gradually

would die from radiation related diseases. No one knows exactly, how many innocent villagers have fallen

prey to various radiation-related diseases, because the UCIL authorities do not keep a track them. Even if

17

Uranium Tailing Pond in Talsa Village

The table below shows the Decay products of Uranium and their life cycles:

Symbol Element Radiation Half-Life Decay

Product

U-238 Uranium-238 alpha 4,460,000,000 years Th-234

Th-234 Thorium-234 beta 24.1 days Pa-234

Pa-234 Protactinium-234 beta 1.17 minutes U-234

U-234 Uranium-234 alpha 247,000 years Th-230

Th-230 Thorium-230 alpha 80,000 years Ra-226

Ra-226 Radium-226 alpha 1,602 years Rn-222

Rn-222 Radon-222 alpha 3.82 days Po-218

Po-218 Polonium-218 alpha 3.05 minutes Pb-214

Pb-214 Lead-214 beta 27 minutes Bi-214

Bi-214 Bismuth-214 beta 19.7 minutes Po-214

Po-214 Polonium-214 alpha 1 microsecond Pb-210

Pb-210 Lead-210 beta 22.3 years Bi-210

Bi-210 Bismuth-210 beta 5.01 days Po-210

Po-210 Polonium-210 alpha 138.4 days Pb-206

Pb-206 Lead-206 none Stable (none)

Water contamination

Most of the villagers who live near the mines draw water either from the hand pumps installed by UCIL or

from the community wells. While interacting with these villagers, many of them complained that their

drinking water is tasteless and turns red if kept for a while and corrodes the vessels. The villagers are

unaware that they are drinking radiated water and their drinking water sources have already been

contaminated by the uranium mines.

During monsoon, Jharkhand receives substantial rainfall. Heavy rainfall often causes severe flooding. The

unprotected uranium tailing pond in Talsa is also affected by floods and could cause the failure of the tailing

dam, overflow and spill over the uranium sludge into nearby areas. Similar spill-overs have been happening

in uranium tailing ponds across the world, with frightening impacts on people and the environment. If such a

major failure happens to the Talsa pond, the impacts of which are left to one's imagination of the reader.

One such accident had already happened in the tailing dam in Talsa in June 2008, due to heavy rain and flood,

the dam was on the verge of collapse. The massive leak in the tailing dam bund sent thousands of gallons of

Source: http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/radiological/radon/chain.htm

18

liquid radioactive waste to the nearby paddy fields and into Subarnarekha River. This was one of the largest

radioactive waste spill-overs in India. Few people have heard of this disaster, because it took place in a remote

area in the state of Jharkhand, where the media has hardly any interest. So the national media simply ignored it,

barring few local news papers. But the Adivasis living near pond and downstream suffered heavy loss.

The seepage from the Talsa tailing pond has already

contaminated the ground and surface water and the

drinking water sources. Soon, it will also contaminate

the drinking water sources of other villages adjoining

Talsa village. It has been contaminating the

Subarnarekha and Kharkai Rivers for several years,

affecting thousands of people living downstream. The

water in the tailing pond has very high acid content.

Whenever there is a seepage or overflow from the pond,

everything that comes into contact with the sludge is

severely affected. The plants dry up immediately, pests

and insects also die in a short time.

Sahebram Murmu, a resident of the Talsa village had pointed out that during the construction of the tailing

pond, the UCIL had rampantly cut down thousands of trees which adversely affected their local

environment. Now the remaining trees around the tailing pond are also dying up, due to the high acidity level

in the pond. Domestic animals grazing nearby get trapped inside the pond and drink the sludge water. The

animals even if rescued from the pond, die within a day or two due to the poisonous water. Sahebram further

pointed out that in future, it would be very difficult for the villagers to live here. The villagers have already

lost their agricultural land to the mines and the pond. Now even the remaining small pieces of land they have

are also being destroyed by the tailing pond.

Due to heavy mining, most of the wells in nearby villages have dried up or the water level has gone down

very deep. The water from the hand pumps are no longer safe to be consumed. Because of leaching, most of

the hand pumps have been contaminated.

The radiation from the mines and the tailing pond is a big issue, but people living in the villages nearby are

not able to gaze the effects or judge the impacts by themselves. According to Arjun Samad, president of the

Turamdih Vistapit Samiti, the issue of radiation is being ignored or overlooked be the people here. People

living here are disturbed over several other issues such as livelihood, farming, employment etc. Whenever

the Turamdih Vistapit Samiti raises these issues and protest, police harass the villagers and book them under

several false cases. Custodial violence at the police

station is also a big issue. Arjun further recalled that

recently, several boys belonging to the Turamdih

Vistapit Samiti trade union were tortured and abused by

the police, because they raised voices against the UCIL. 16The police derogatorily call the Adivasis 'junglee' and

uncivilized etc., If the Adivasis try to lodge a complaint

against these abuses, further violence awaits them with

trumped charges and more fabricated cases against

them.

19

A UCIL managed handpump in Dhodanga Village

Contaminated water from the handpump

RADIATION COUNT IN AND AROUND URANIUM MILLS & MINES

DATE TIME PLACE LOCATION RADIATION REMARKS6/11/2012

6/11/2012

6/11/2012

7/11/2012

7/11/2012

7/11/2012

7/11/2012

7/11/2012

7/11/2012

7/11/2012

7/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

8/11/2012

5.24 pm

5.30 pm

5.36 pm

9.30 am

9.36 am

9.42 am

9.48 am

9.55 am

10.06 am

10.11 am

12.49 pm

10.57 am

11.04 am

11.09 am

11.10 am

11.12 am

11.13 am

11.19 am

11.27 am

11.28 am

11.30 am

3.47 pm

3.53 pm

4.02 pm

Sundernagar

Sundernagar

Sundernagar

Turamdih UCIL Mills & Mines

Talsa Uranium Tailing Pond

Talsa Uranium Tailing Pond

Bada Talsa Village

Chota Talsa Village

Talsa Uranium Tailing Pond

Turamdih Basti

Samekit Jan Vikas Kendra

Aharguttu Village

Kerwadungri Village

Kerwadungr Village

Kerwadungri Village

Kerwadungri Village

Kerwadungri Village

Dhodhanga Village

Turamdih UCIL Colony

Turamdih UCIL Colony

Turamdih UCIL Colony

Banduhurang uranium opencast mining

Banduhurang uranium opencast mining

Banduhurang uranium opencast mining

Market Road junction

Market Road junction

Market Road junction

100 metres from the mines at the roadside

Eastern boundary of tailing pond on the roadside

Western boundary of the tailing pond on the roadside

In front of Government Primary School

At the entry point of the village

Southern side of the tailing pond

Adjoining the Talsa Tailing Pond

Sundernagar Patel Bagan

UCIL Colony Boundary

Uranium waste dumped in the field

Uranium waste dumped in the field

Uranium waste dumped in the field

Uranium Waste dumped in the roadside

Public Road

Centre of the village

Exit gate of the colony

Public Road

Inside the colony on the roadside

Entrance of the opencast mining

Open cast mines boundary

Uranium waste dump

0.08 mcSv*/hr

0.25mcSv/hr

0.18 mcSV/hr

0.54 mcSv/hr (Uranium slurry dumped on the road)

0.32 mcSv/hr

0.23 mcSv/hr

0.11 mcSv/hr

0.19 mcSv/hr

0.32 mcSV/hr

0.47 mcSv/hr

0.25 mcSv/hr

0.40 mcSv/hr

0.37 mcSv/hr

1.20 mcSv/hr

1.26 mcSv/hr

1.37 mcSv/hr

1.41 mcSv/hr

0.21 mcSv/hr

0.82 mcSv/hr

0.65 mcSv/hr

0.60 mcSv/hr

0.44 mcSv/hr

1.22 mcSv/hr

1.88 mcSv/hr

Prior to the truck passing away loaded with uranium slurry

After the truck loaded with uranium slurry passed away

After the another truck loaded with uranium slurry passed away

Very high background radiation

High background radiation

High background radiation

Low Background radiation

Low Background radiation

High background radiation

High background radiation. The village is on the verge of displacement where the mining would start. Villagers seemed to be sick and weary.

Low Background radiation

High background Radiation

High background Radiation

Very High Background Radiation

Very High background Radiation

Very High background radiation

Very High radioactive zone

Low Background radiation

High background radiation

High background radiation

High background radiation

High background radiation

Very High background radiation

Very High Radioactive zone

*microsieverts/hr: The sievert (symbol:Sv) is the International System of Units (SI) derived unit of equivalent radiation dose, effective dose, and committed dose. Quantities that are measured in sieverts are designed to represent the stochastic biological effects of ionizing radiation. The sievert should not be used to express the unmodified absorbed dose of radiation energy, which is a clear physical quantity measured in grays. To enable consideration of biological effects, further calculations must be performed to convert absorbed dose into effective dose, the details of which depend on the biological context. This can be far more complicated than just multiplying by a weighting factor. The sievert is of fundamental importance in radiation dosimetry, and is named after Rolf Maximilian Sievert, a Swedish medical physicist renowned for work on radiation dosage measurement and research into the biological effects of radiation. One sievert equals 100 rem, an older unit of measurement still in widespread use. One sievert carries with it a 5.5% chance of eventually developing cancer. Doses greater than 1 sievert received over a short time period are likely to cause radiation poisoning, possibly leading to death within weeks.

20

DISPLACEMENT AND REHABILITATION

isplacement caused by uranium mining is a part of the broader context of development-induced

displacement. Social and economic issues from displacement are divergent, depending on where the Ddisplaced lived and where they have been rehabilitated. In our case, the displaced are largely Adivasi

farmers and agricultural workers, who either owned a piece of fertile agricultural land or earned a livelihood as a

worker. Those displaced by the uranium mines found to be suffering from lack of proper alternative livelihood

sources. Other factors that lead to the poor situation of the displaced are also due to inadequate compensation,

chaotic plans of resettlement, and lack of systemic social support in the new place of residence. In the remote

regions of Jharkhand, where there is absence of proper democratic governance and lack of participation from

the government could be the reason why the displaced are often not resettled well.

Identity Crisis

It emerged from the interaction with the displaced villagers that earlier the Adivasi identity was based on

their indigenous rights and traditional practices which has been lost due to the loss of land and other

resources. Now, the identity of the Adivasi is reduced to a mere piece of paper – a certificate – procured

either from the school they studied or from the government, which they must possess all the time. This is a

major paradigm shift in terms of the indigenous identity of the Adivasis is concerned.

UCIL's injustice

Several villagers and leaders confided that there is lot of injustice being meted out to those displaced due to

mining, especially the Adivasis. The UCIL is opposed to a full rehabilitation package for the displaced and

also not in favour of the upliftment of the Adivasis. Keeping this in view, there have been lots of protests in

this region. Several struggle groups have been formed to fight for the rights of the displaced. Many groups

are demanding that all those displaced be given proper benefits, regular employment and proper

rehabilitation package for their community development. The meagre amount of compensation that the

displaced received would neither be enough to build a house nor to buy a plot of land.

High Level Committee

First of all, there is an urgent need to set up a high level committee to look at the issues of displacement,

rehabilitation and radiation. Once the committee is set up and a thorough study is under taken, the result of

the study should be revealed to the public, so that everyone will know the truth. In an interview, Arvind

Anjum, a senior functionary of Vistapit Mukti Vahini told that, there are uranium mines all over the world

and the issue of radiation is also being faced in those countries too. It is important to find out how these

countries manage the issues of radiation and control it. If those countries could effectively deal with

radiation, then it could be implemented here also. The measures to be taken for the implementation should

be done immediately. If there is radiation, then it should be controlled, at par with other mines in the rest of

the world. The impact of radiation would affect not only the Adivasis, but everyone including the people

who are employed by UCIL and their officers. If there is high radiation level in the uranium mining areas,

then the UCIL and the government together should make that information public and awareness need to be

created regarding radiation related issues. When people's movements and other groups claim that there is

radiation, the government often brands them as anti-national, biased and anti-development. This is a great

loss not only for the movement groups, but also for the government and the people at large.

21

Arvind continued to critically look at the role of the UCIL and

pointed out that, the UCIL and its parental body the DAE are

directly under the control of the Prime Minister of this country.

However, both of them often maintain high level of secrecy. The

lives of people should be taken into consideration as the issues

of radiation are important sensitive issues. An expert committee

should be set up to look into these issues and to find out what are

the real needs of the people and their safety.

Flawed Rehabilitation Policy

Those who are displaced by uranium mining and milling should be brought under a sustainable rehabilitation

and livelihood plan. This is a sensitive issue because many of the displaced Adivasis who are employed by

UCIL may have work now, but not after 20 or 30 years when the mining has been stopped or mine is closed down

due to lack of raw materials or government decisions. After few years, these workers would retire and the next

generation from the displaced families may not get the same job in the mines. Thus, a comprehensive

sustainable rehabilitation plan that can work for a long period of time should be put in place.

In the Turamdih uranium mine, most of the Adivasis are working there are temporary workers. The UCIL

has no plans to educate the workers and given them proper knowledge about radiation. The villagers whose

land has been taken away are also not fully aware of the impacts of the project. The focus of the most of the

unions and social movement groups working for the welfare of the displaced Adivasis are only focusing on

getting compensation, more money and few jobs in the company. Thus the rehabilitation policy that is really

sustainable is not being developed in the whole of Jharkhand. The union leadership and the social movement

groups working on rehabilitation are only concentrating on some financial aspects of displacement.

The rehabilitation package for the uranium mine displaced is an isolated activity. There is a lack of long term

vision to understand that employment related rehabilitation is only for one generation but not for the second

or third generation. The social-cultural background from which the people claiming for job is also different

here. The displaced Adivasis, who were primarily farmers and agricultural workers from rural areas - even

if they are employed by the UCIL - are not fully prepared to utilize the benefits of employment in a

maximum manner. Because of all these factors, the movement against uranium mining is not connected with

other social movement groups in the country. They are an isolated group who are victims of tunnel vision.

Major Findings of the Survey

Table 1: Occupation and Livelihood of the Displaced

S.No.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Name Of Village/ Hamlet

Bada Talsa

Chota Talsa

Dhodanga

Gaghidih

Sunder Nagar

Nandup

Kerva Dungri

Banduhurang

Mohuldih

No. Of Houses Surveyed

32

22

40

20

60

30

43

35

25

Major Occupation

Farming

Farming

Farming

Farming

Labourer

Farming

Farming

Farming

Farming

Other Occupation

Labourer

Labourer

Labourer

Labourer

Labourer

Labourer

Labourer

Labourer

Labourer

Average Earning In The Family P/M In Rs.

3500

3000

3500

2500

4500

3500

3000

3500

4500

Land Taken Away For Mining/Tailing Pond

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Satisfied With The Compensation

Very Little

Very Little

Very Low

Very Little

Not Par With Market Rate

Very Low

Not Satisfied As Per Market Rate

Not Satisfied

More or less satisfied

22

A tribal house being demolished for

Uranium mining

S.No.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Name Of Village/

Hamlet

Bada Talsa

Chota Talsa

Dhodanga

Gaghidih

Sunder Nagar

Nandup

Kerwadungri

Banduhurang

Mohuldih

No. Of People Employed

With UCIL/ Or Under

Contractor

Approximately 25 People

Reported Working Either With

UCIL Or Under A Contractor

10 People Reported To Be

Working Under A Contractor

Approximately 15 People

Reported Are Either With

UCIL Or Under A Contractor

Not Declared

Most People Are Either

Working As Labourers Under

Contractors Or Working For

Various Companies

Not Declared

Around 5 People Only

Reported To Be Working For

UCIL

Approximately 10 People Are

Working With UCIL And

Another 15 People Reported To

Be Working As Labourers

Under A Contractor

Most Of The Male Members

And Few Female Members Are

Working Under UCIL As

Labourers

Employment

Category

Casual Worker/Deep

In The Mines

Casual Workers

Working In The Mine

Casual Workers

Working At Blasting

Site Or At Store

Labourer

Not Many Declared

Mostly Casual

Workers, Mechanics,

Drivers Etc.,

Working As Casual

Labourers In The

Open Cast Mining

Mostly As Labourers

Mostly As Labourers

Mostly As Labourers

Displaced By

Mining

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Ever Been Harrassed By

Police/UCIL

Yes/

Several Times/Charged

With False Cases

Yes/Several Times/

Charged With False Cases

Yes/Several Times/

Charged With False Cases

Yes / Several Times

Yes / Several Times/

Charged With False Cases

Yes/ Several

Times

Yes/Several Times

Yes/Several

Times/Charge

d With False

Cases

Few Protested

Table 2: Employment of Displaced by Uranium Mines

23

Uranium sludge is dumped in the open in Bandhuhurang Village

Table 2: Employment of Displaced by Uranium Mines

S.No.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Name Of

Village/Hamlet

Bada Talsa

Chota Talsa

Dhodanga

Gaghidih

Sunder Nagar

.Nandup

Kerwadungri

Banduhurang

Mohuldih

Drinking Water

Source

Hand pump

Hand pump

Hand pump

Hand pump

Pipe Water And

Hand pump

Hand pump

Hand pump

Hand pump

Hand Pump/ Well

Drinking Water Quality

Contaminated/Red Coloured

Contaminated When

Blasting Happens/ Red

Coloured

Contaminated

H a n d p u m p W a t e r

Contaminated/Discoloured

Contaminated/ Tastes Bad/ If

Water Kept Overnight Turns

In to Red Colour And

Corrodes Aluminium Vessels

Contaminated/ Tastes Bad/ If

Water Kept Overnight Turns

In to Red Colour And

Corrodes Aluminium Vessels

Contaminated/If Water Kept

Overnight Turns Red,

Corrodes Vessels

Not Reported Anything

Adverse

Drinking Water

Maintenance

UCIL

UCIL

UCIL

Municipality/Panchayat

UCIL

UCIL

Do Not Know

Do Not Know

Health Facilities In The

Village

No – Only Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL Gets

Facility At The Mining Site

No – Only Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL Gets

Facility At The Mining Site

No – Only Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL get

facility At The Mining Site

No

Primary Health Centre

No

No

No

Only Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL Gets

Facility At The Mining Site

Table 4: Health Issues of People Living near Uranium Mines

S.No.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Name Of

Village/

Hamlet

Bada Talsa

Chota Talsa

Dhodanga

Gaghidih

SunderNagar

Nandup

Kerwadungri

Banduhurang

Mohuldih

Diseases/Ailments

Skin Problems

Skin Allergies

Itching. Skin Problems,

Headache /Giddiness

When Approaching The

Uranium Waste Dump

Miscarriage/Other

Gynaecological

Problems

Several

Several

Few

Not Declared

Not Declared

Few

Few

Few

Didn't Say

Congenital

Deformities/

2

2

2

Not Yet Known

Not Yet Known

1

Not Yet Known

2

Not Yet Known

Other Illness

Skin Problems

Skin

Irritations

Skin Problems

Not Yet

Known

Skin Allergies

Not Yet

Known

Aware About

Radiation

Few – Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL

Few – Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL

Few – Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL

No

No

Few – Those Who Are

Employed With UCIL

No

No

No

24

Table 5: Awareness about the Impacts of Uranium Tailing Pond

S.No.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Name Of Village/Hamlet

Bada Talsa

Chota Talsa

Dhodanga

Gaghidih

Sunder Nagar

Nandup

Kerwadungri

Banduhurang

Mohuldih

UCIL Informs About

Radiation

Never

Never

Never

Never

Never

Never

Never

Never

Never

Aware About

TheImpacts Of

Tailing Pond

Negligible

Very Few

Ignorant

Ignorant

Very Few

Very Few

Ignorant

Ignorant

No Idea

Family Breakup

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Not Much

Protest Against

UCIL

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Not Much

25

A tribal severely affected by Uranium mine in Dhodanga Village

Social Exclusion

Another aspect related to the impacts of uranium mining is the serious issue of social exclusion of the

displaced Adivasis. The social exclusion of the displaced victims has happened in other development

projects too. For example, in the Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project in Chandil, the girls and boys living in

the dam submergence zone faced serious difficulties in getting married as their lives were rife with

uncertainty. Even when the displaced communities are relocated at another location, they faced isolation

and ostracisation at the new place. In Jharkhand, there are innumerable such cases where the rehabilitated

people were often ostracized and isolated by the local villagers who are already living there. In such

situations, life becomes extremely painful for the displaced victims. When someone from the displaced

community died, even conducting the last rituals for the dead used to be extremely difficult as the locals

instead of lending a helping hand, created troubles by putting up objections on cremation rituals and sites.

Such is the degree of exclusion and expulsion the displaced Adivasis have to undergo, it seems there is no

end to their sufferings even during their last journey.

People in living in Turamdih, Jaduguda and Banduhurang, not only suffer from serious ailments due to

radiation but also social exclusion. Around four decades ago, just the way it used to happen in leprosy

colonies, the social exclusion is happening to people who are displaced by uranium mines. Very seldom

marriages take place in leprosy colonies as young men and women affected by leprosy used to live in

isolation and exclusion. Similarly, in the uranium radiation zones, such issues have surfaced. Adivasis living

in and around the uranium mines are often excluded from attending marriage functions of their relatives

living in other villages. Even if they are invited, they would be served food in different utensils, which are

kept separate from other utensils. During some family functions or religious rituals Adivasis living in

Jaduguda or Turamdih are not invited to take part. Adivasis and others living in Jaduguda, Turamdih and

others are socially excluded within their communities and even outside. It's a serious issue which needs to be

studied by the Government and NGOs so that that, measures could be taken to stop these things.

Lack of Food Security

In areas where people are displaced due to development projects, food security is a big concern. When

people are displaced from their traditional homes, it is a direct attack on their livelihood. There are deliberate

attempts to delink the displaced or the affected communities from their livelihood sources, so that they are

forced to quit their homes and land or migrate to a nearby by town in search of work or livelihood. In uranium

mining areas, there should be a special need for PDS, health facilities and other basic amenities. These areas

also require more public health centres (PHC) as compared to other normal areas. Even those who are not

apparently suffering from any ailments, need to be examined and continuously monitored. The displaced

people need special health facilities, which need to be developed. Children and pregnant women need to be

given special care and examined regularly. Antenatal care has to be properly implemented to avoid infants

being born with physical deformities and undernourished. There is an alarming increase in the malnutrition

levels among the displaced. Anaemic cases among women are very high among the displaced victims. At the

moment, only those employed by the UCIL are given some kind of health benefits but their health records

are kept in secrecy. Those villagers who are displaced but not employed by UCIL do not get any health

facilities nor are they given instructions on the impacts of radiation.

26

Health Issues

A Supreme Court ruling had allocated about six categories of people as

beneficiaries for the disbursal of Antyodaya Anna Yojana Scheme. The Jharkhand Government should also

take such decision into consideration to include those people who are affected by uranium mines for the 17

disbursal of relief under Below Poverty Line (BPL) or Antyodaya 18

Anna Yojana schemes. Invariably, all those who are affected by

uranium mines should also get the benefits of health insurance

schemes. The elderly displaced people should be given pension and all

those affected by uranium mining or radiation should be dealt in a

compassionate manner. But in Jaduguda, Turamdih and Banduhurang,

it's lacking. The UCIL, a Government-run enterprise which is directly

under the PMO has been showing callousness and apathy towards the

Adivasis whose land had been acquired for mining. This is a real

criminal apathy and negligence from the part of the government. The

Food Security situation in this area is quite terrible as compared to

other areas in Jharkhand. Instead of looking at these issues in a realistic

manner, the UCIL and the Government officials often downplay the

deaths and diseases due to radiation in the area. It does not even

scientifically diagnose the cause behind various diseases that afflict the

people living near the mines. Instead, the UCIL stonewalls all the information under the truncated Official

Secrets Act.

The UCIL neither conducts medical camp nor undertakes any

developmental work or welfare programmes for the displaced Adivasis.

If anyone is sick or suffers from any ailment UCIL tries to confuse or

indulges in argument that it's not due to radiation, so that things are

pushed under the carpet. The UCIL should not indulge in such sort of

discussion that it is due to radiation or not. As a public company doing a

responsible job for the whole nation, UCIL is accountable to the

villagers who are living within the vicinity of the mines and it is the

responsibility of the company to keep them free from any ailments. But

the UCIL is totally failing in its social obligations. As a result, there are

regular protests by the Adivasis and their discontentment is brewing up

against the company and the management.

27

A Uranium mining affected child

A Uranium mining affected child

PROTEST CONTINUES.....

he villagers have been protesting against the uranium mines and the

tailing pond right from the beginning, when the construction for the

Turamdih Uranium Tailing Pond began. The UCIL authorities seeing

the protest brewing up against the tailing pond, deployed large number

of police force. The police arrested the protestors several times. On each

occasion of protest, the villagers were arrested in large numbers and

taken to the police station where they had to undergo the wrath of the

police. Beaten up severely, abused, and kept in police custody for

several hours, the protestors would be let off with sound warning and of

dire consequences if the continued to protest. Many of the villagers have been charged under several false cases.

In spite of several protests, the UCIL with the help of the police completed the work on the pond.

If UCIL workers protest, they face victimisation

Most of the Adivasis displaced by the Turamdih and Banduhurang mines are yet to be rehabilitated. Only

few have been given employment. Some villagers whose land has been acquired have not been given any

compensation or employment. Even those who got job in UCIL, work as daily wage labourers who work in

the deep mines. Several displaced Adivasis have no work or do some manual labour to meet their daily needs

and are left to fend for themselves. According to Sagar Besra, the President of the Jharkhand Krantikari

Mazdoor Union (JKMU) which was formed for the welfare of Adivasis working in UCIL -- the displaced

Adivasis often do not benefit from the development projects in the area, especially from the uranium mines.

The UCIL had terminated several workers for participating in union formation activities. As a result, JKMU 19has been organising dharnas and road blockades with the help of villagers and forced the management to

reach an agreement. After a long fight with UCIL, several workers were reinstated. Now the union is trying

to fight for the increase of wages for the manual labourers working in the mines. Sagar Besra recalled that

when the displaced Adivasi workers engage in the activities of the union, the UCIL in collusion with the

local police try to implicate them on false charges. The workers struggles are far more painful than just

fighting for wages and other benefits.

The policy of the UCIL is not much in favour of the displaced victims, their rehabilitation and upliftment.

Keeping that in view, the unions working here force the UCIL administration and the government by

engaging in various types of protests to demand that the displaced be given proper benefits, regular

employment and a proper rehabilitation package for the community.

UCIL's Public Hearing and people's protest

In October 2010, simmering anger over land acquisition for Uranium Corporation of India Limited's (UCIL)

Turamdih mines expansion plan and spilled onto the streets, when the protesting villagers' blocked the

approach road to scuttle a Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) public hearing on the project.

The UCIL required a no-objection certificate from state pollution control authorities to expand its mining

capacity at Turamdih from the 3,000 metric tonnes to 4,500 metric tonnes. The public hearing was

mandatory step to that effect.

UCIL required an additional 41.77 acres of land at Nandup village, adjoining Turamdih, in Sundernagar to

28

Photo Courtesy: http://www.thiscorrespondence.files.

wordpress.com/201210Tribals protest against CRPF

give shape to its expansion dream. Villagers were kept in the dark about land requirement and were not

notified about the public hearing. Villagers pulled down the podium where pollution control board officials

were to hold the hearing. They also blocked the road leading to the venue outside Turamdih mines premises.

Several senior officials of UCIL and JSPCB, who had turned up for the hearing, were forced to go back.

Another public hearing in March 2011 was also put off due to stiff resistance by the villagers. It was the

second time a public hearing organised by the regional office of JSPCB for UCIL was conked. The first was

called off on October 20, 2010 when villagers barricaded the venue. Protestors opposed the expansion of the

mines because the UCIL had betrayed the Adivasis. The UCIL never adequately compensated those who

were displaced when the Turamdih mines became operational.

Conclusion

In spite of the formation of a new state, the Adivasi communities in Jharkhand continue to struggle to retain

their indigenous identity, collective ownership, community rights, and traditional religious practices.

Amidst a highly exploitative environment, the poor Adivasis have become the unscrupulous victims of

displacement, impoverishment, poverty and degradation. The new political regime, instead of embarking on

a mission that would regain the vision and ideology the legendary Adivasi leaders like Bhagwan Birsa

Munda, Murmu brothers, Tilka Majhi and thousands of Adivasis who vigorously fought and sacrificed their

lives to retain the Adivasi identity and culture, has now joined hands with big corporations and the industrial

mafia to exploit the remaining resources in the state. Several hundred MOUs have already been signed by

various governments that came to power. The stage has been set to auction off the state to multinationals

while smashing the aspirations of millions of Adivasis. As hundreds of factories and industrial units

mushroom all over the state, continuing the loot of the land and resources, the hapless Adivasis remain moot

witnesses to the merciless slaughter of their land and identity, at the altar of development.

Mining-induced displaced people are often victims of human rights violations and also suffer from

economic problems and social issues. Some of the common problems faced by the displaced are also found

in communities displaced by uranium mining and milling activities. Some of the issues are given below:

1. Inadequate or no compensation for lost property

2. Exploitation of community resources

3. Breakup of social ties and family

4. Lack of housing facilities

5. Loss of livelihood and social and cultural values

6. Social exclusion

7. Health problems and lack of nutrition

8. Impacts of radiation related health problems and lack of proper treatment.

Only a thorough epidemiological study would reveal the real impacts of the uranium mines and radiation

from the tailing pond on human beings living nearby. A comparative study needs to be conducted on people

living near the mines and people living far off from the mines, to find out the rate of bone, testicular and

ovarian cancers. Until then, the people living in Turamdih, Banduhurang and Jaduguda will continue to pay

a heavy price for thousands of years to come.

Given the serious impacts the uranium mining can cause to humanity, the immediate question that comes to

our mind is whether this type of development projects is worth pursuing? Should not the uranium mines be

29

closed down and all works be stopped immediately?

Closing down of the mines, mills, the tailing ponds and cleaning up the nuclear and radioactive waste is a

costly, billion dollar business operation, which the UCIL is not willing to undertake. Instead, it would opt for

the easy way round. With all the blessings from the PMO and abundant funds at hand, it is easy for the UCIL

to resort to violent tactics and hooliganism to silence the voices of protest, suppress dissent and brand

villagers, social activists and NGOs as 'anti nationals', 'anti-developmental' and enemies of the 'Bharat

Mata'.

Shutting down the dirty business of uranium mining in the whole country is a big political issue that

concerns the people of India and its security. We should wait for the day, when the masses of this country and

the government are able to collectively see the wisdom, that the uranium mining is a very risky business that

can adversely affect people's health and the environment. Only then, these dangerous mines could be closed

down and other alternative sources of energy could be searched which are more eco-friendly and

sustainable. Until then, the hapless victims of uranium mines in Jharkhand, especially the Adivasis whose

land and resources are being looted away would continue to suffer for a long time to come and their Paradise

Lost!

Abbreviations:

AAY : Antyodaya Anna Yojana

AEC : Atomic Energy Commission

AERB : Atomic Energy Regulatory Board

CNT Act : Chotanagpur Tenancy Act

DAE : Department of Atomic Energy

GDP : Gross Domestic Product

GGF : Global Green Grants, USA

JKMU : Jharkhand Krantikari Mazdoor Union

JSPCB : Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board

MNREGA : The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

MOU : Memorandum of Understanding

MW : Mega Watt (1000 Kilowatt = 1 Mega watt)

NGO : Non-Governmental Organisation

PDS : Public Distribution System

PEACE : Popular Education and Action Centre

PHC : Public Health Centre

PMO : Prime Minister's Office

RCC : Reinforced Concrete Construction

TVS : Turamdih Vistapit Samiti

UCIL : Uranium Corporation of India Ltd.

30

References:

About Jharkhand, online at: http://jharkhand.gov.in/AboutState_fr.html

Banduhurang Uranium Mining Project: Executive Summary, UCIL

Bindrai Institute for Research Study and Action (BIRSA) online at: http://www.birsa.in

Dias, Xavier, 'Radiological Pollution from Uranium Mines — Conference on Health and Environment', New

Delhi, July 6-9, 1998, Centre for Science and Environment. For a detailed understanding of the radioactive

behaviour of different protégés.

East Singhbhum, online at: http://jamshedpur.nic.in/

Gadekar Surendra and Sangamitra (Drs.), The Real Cost of Nuclear Power, Sampoorna Kranti

Vidyalaya, Vedchhi, Gujarat.

Health Impacts of Uranium: please refer to, online at: http://www.wise-uranium.org/indexu.html#UMMIMP

Mukerjee, Rina, Protest against uranium mines, online at: http://www.civilsocietyonline.com April 2007

Population of Jharkhand, online at: http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/censusinfodashboard/stock/profiles/en/IND020_Jharkhand.pdf

Radioactivity and its by-products, refer online at:http://www.ccnr.org/decay_U238.html

Sarangi, A.K., D. R. Dash and P. P. Sharma; Some observations on uranium mineralisation at Turamdih,

UCIL Report.

Tanaka, Yuki, The myth of safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy, Infochange News & Features, March

2011.

Sources of Information:

Interaction with villagers of Chota Talsa, Bada Talsa, Turamdih, Nandup, Banduhurang, Mohuldih, Sunder

Nagar, Gram Sabha Members Dhodanga village and the Panchayat President, Nandup village.

Interaction with Trade Union leaders, Sagar Besra, President, Jharkhand Krantikari Mazdoor Union and

Arjun Samad, President, Turamdih Vistapit Samiti.

Interaction with Adivasi leaders, Kumarchand Mardi and Samay Soren.

Interaction with activists, Xavier Dias, Philip Kujur, Sunil Minz, Arvind Anjum and Balram.

Interaction with Medical experts, Dr. Abhijit Das, Dr. Surender Gadekar and Dr. Sangamitra Gadekar.

End Notes:

1. GDP: Gross domestic product (GDP) is the market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a

country in a given period of time. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living.

2. Adivasi, meaning First People, is how the indigenous peoples of peninsular India prefer to be known by. According to government

statistics, they constitute 8.5 percent of the country's 1.2 billion population; the actual figures could be double this number.

3. Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) is a centrally owned Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), under the Department of Atomic

Energy for uranium mining and uranium processing. The corporation was founded in 1967 and is responsible for the mining and

milling of uranium ore in India. The firm operates mines at Jaduguda, Bhatin, Narwapahar, Turamdih and Banduhurang

4. For most Adivasi communities in India, the survival directly depends on access to land, water and forest resources. Where

communities have had long-term rights to these resources, they have often regulated their use to prevent over-exploitation and abuse,

31

ensuring their own subsistence while conserving nature. In recent times, this relationship between the Adivasi communities and their

natural environment has been ruptured by external forces that extract resources for various reasons. To protect their resources, the

Adivasi communities are resorting to campaigns with slogans Jal-Jangal-Zameen hamari hai (water, forests and land are ours) and

reclaims their collective rights over these resources.

5. The British (the people or citizens of United Kingdom) here refers to the rule of British Crown during the period of 1858 to 1947

beginning with the arrival of the East India Company in the year 1600 and gradually moving from trade to taking political control of

the subcontinent by the year 1857.

6. An official or a landholder in British colonial India responsible for collecting taxes and paying to the government, on the land under

his jurisdiction.

th7. Jagirdar system is a form of land tenancy developed around the 13 century during the Muslim rule in which the collection of the

revenues of an estate or an area of land and the power of governing it were bestowed on an official of the state. The term was derived by

combining two Persian words: Jagir (meaning holding land) and dar (meaning an official).

8. The Act XXXVII of 1855 was meant to return Santhal Parganas and restore them to the status of non-regulation district. For more

details about the act, refer to: Bengal District Gazetteers, Santhal Parganas, LSS O'Malley, 1910, Logos Press, Delhi.

9. The chief god, as well as the creator-god and sun-god, of the Munda tribe living in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh and

Orissa. Among the Ho tribe, Singbonga is called Sirma Thakur ('Lord of the Heaven'). He is venerated with sacrifices of white goats

and cocks.

10. Tata is a business and an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It encompasses

many business sectors. Tata Group was founded in 1868 by Jamsedji Tata as a trading company. It has operations in more than 80

countries across six continents. For more information about this group, online at: http://www.Tata.in/

11. The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act 1908 known as the safeguard to the Adivasis prohibits the transfer of Adivasis' land to non-Adivasis.

12. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) came into being on August 3, 1954 under the direct charge of the Prime Minister through a

Presidential Order. DAE has been engaged in the development of nuclear power technology, applications of radiation technologies in

the fields of agriculture, medicine, industry and basic research. Online at: http://dae.nic.in/

13. The Atomic Energy Commission is a governing body functioning under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of

India. The Commission was first setup in August 1948 in the Department of Scientific Research but later it was moved to the

Department of Atomic Energy in 1958.

14. Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was constituted on November 15, 1983 by the President of India by exercising the powers conferred

by the Atomic Energy Act to carry out certain regulatory and safety functions under the Act.

15. Bindrai Institute for Research Study and Action (BIRSA) online at: http://www.birsa.in

16. The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which means uncultivated land. Junglee, a term derogatorily used for

ridiculing Adivasis as primitive and uncivilized.

17. Below Poverty Line is an economic benchmark and poverty threshold used by the government of India to indicate economic

disadvantage and to identify individuals and households in need of government assistance and aid. It is determined using various

parameters which vary from state to state and within states

18. The Antyodaya Anna Yojana, an important milestone in providing food grains to the poor. It was launched on December 25, 2000 with

the intention of providing 25 kg. of food grains per month at highly subsidized rates of Rs. 2 per kg. for wheat and Rs. 3 per kg. for rice

to each Antyodaya family. The total number of families to be covered under this scheme was placed at one crore.

19. Dharna is a mode of protest often practiced in India for exacting justice or compliance with a just demand by sitting and protesting or

fasting at the doorstep of an offender until justice is granted.

Disclaimer

At the moment, this study is intended solely for private circulation. The authors do not own any liability arising from disclosing, copying,

distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this study. The authors of this study accept no liability for any damage caused by

any of the information contained in this report or for the consequences of any action taken on the basis of the information provided in this

Study. Several views and opinions expressed in this study are based on interactions with various individuals, experts, activists and the Adivasi

communities and that the authors may not represent the views or opinions given by various individuals. This study in no way intends to defame

or malign any individual, institution, organisation or any company because of any information found in this study and the authors are not

responsible or liable for any legal action.

32