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the pioneer STATE EDITIONS K’HANDI THIRD PALLI SABHA ALSO AGAINST MINING Friday, 26 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar 1 2 3 4 5 0 The residents of Palberi village in the Niyamgiri Hills region of Kalahandi district participating in the Palli Sabha held on Thursday vehemently opposed mining in the hills.  The sentiments revealed by them were the same as expressed in the previous four Palli Sabhas held at Serkapadi and Kesarpadi of Rayagada district and Tadijhola and Kunakadu villages of Kalahandi district.  “Without the Niyamgiri Hills and Niyam Raja, it will be impossible for us to live because the water, air and everything we take belong to Niyam Raja,” the villagers said one after another. This fifth Palli Sabha in a series of 12 scheduled in  12 villages of the two  districts was held under the supervision of a judge to discuss about the impact of mining on the religious and cultural rights of the inhabitants ...

‘LIKE YOU CAN’T GIVE UP JAGANNATH, WE CAN’T NIYAMGIRI’ the pioneer - State Edition; Thursday, 25 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar 1 http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/like-you-cant-give-up-jagannath-we-cant-niyamgiri.html Can you give up your Lord Jagannath? Will you stop worshipping your deity? If you can’t, how do you think we will surrender our God Niyam Raja and His abode Niyamgiri to Vedanta?” asked Dambru Majhi, a villager of Kunakadu in Kalahandi district, where the fourth Palli Sabha out of the scheduled twelve was held on Tuesday in the presence of 21 voters out 22 in  the village. Twelve out of the total present were women. Hundreds of Dongaria Kandh women and men of different other villages of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts were present too. Dambru compared his God Niyamraja with the Jagannath and pointed his question to the independent observer PK Jena, who was appointed by the Supreme Court to o...

PALLI SABHA: K’HANDI TRIBALS TOO SAY ‘NO’ TO MINING THE PIONEER - NATION Wednesday, 24 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | BHAWANIPATNA The Palli Sabha of Tadijhola village in Trilochanpur Gram Panchayat of Kalahandi held on Tuesday unanimously declared that the villagers would not allow mining in the Niyamgiri Hills.  “Niyam Raja is our father and Niyamgiri hills, our mother. Hence, we will not allow Vedanta to snatch it from us,” said every villagers of Tadijhola present in the meeting. Out of 22 voters of the village, 19 were present in the meeting and nine of them were women. Sugri Gauda (87), who is blind and crippled due to old age, also came to the meeting leaning on a stick and said, “I will not leave Niyamgiri, come what may.” Additional District Judge (Vigilance) of Kalahandi Pramod Kumar Jen, who was appointed by the Supreme Court as the observer for the Palli Sabha, was present during the whole deliberation. The meeting was presided over by Ward Member Ramu Majh...

VILLAGERS TO ATTEND PALLI SABHA, BUT OPPOSE MINING PROPOSAL Tuesday, 16 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | BHUBANESWAR | in  Bhubaneswar ttp://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/villagers-to-attend-palli-sabha-but-oppose-mining-proposal.html "We will not allow anyone to encroach upon our land and forest. Niyam Raja who reigns in the Niyamgiri Hills is our Father, our God; we will fight till our death to protect our God and culture," the people vowed. The sarpanch of the gram panchayat was also present.The tribals of different villages in the Niyamgiri Hills of Rayagada and Kalahandi districts at a meeting at Phul Dumer village of Trilochanpur gram panchayat in Rayagada district on Sunday decided that they would participate in the Palli Sabha going to be held from July 18 to decide the issue of bauxite mining in the hills and reject the mining proposal. The villagers apprehended that the Government would use force to take consent of the people at the Palli Sab...

the pioneer STATE EDITION  SUNABEDA TRIBALS FAIL TO AVAIL MAMATA, JSSK BENEFITS Monday, 08 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar Mathura Bhunjia, a tribal woman of Sanbaheli village in Sunabeda plateau here delivered a child inside a forest when she was staying there in a temporary shed for collection of Mahua flowers. A traditional birth attendant of her community attended her during delivery. She continued to stay inside the forest for another month till the end of flower collection and in the meantime, the newborn had died. Nandinibai Majhi under Salepada anganwadi centre (AWC) of this plateau was somehow fortunate. The Janani Suraksha Ambulance reached in time being informed by Biju Bhunjia, a youth leader and took her to the Community Health Centre (CHC) located at the block headquarters - Komna and subsequently shifted her due to complications to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) at Nuapada, where she delivered a...

N'PADA FARMERS VICTIMISED FOR ‘BANK ERROR’ Wednesday, 03 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar 1 Government and Bank officials in a meeting with people A small mistake committed by the office of the Regional Manager, Utkal Gramya Bank (UGB), here has put hundreds of farmers, who had insured their paddy crop during 2011-12 Kharif season under the National Agriculture Insurance Programme (NAIP), in a dilemma. More than 400 farmers of Bargaon Panchayat of Khariar Block in Nuapada district had deposited their premium to insure their paddy crop under the NAIP in the Bargaon branch of the UGB. Although, the 86.49 per cent crop loss was insured, the National Agricultural Insurance Company of India (AICI) has released sum in respect of only 20.49 per cent of loss. "This mistake will cost us more than Rs 16,000 per hectare," says Labaneswar Barik, a farmer of Chalanpada village, adding, "When the company is liable to pay Rs 22,000, it ha...

BUS SERVICE TO MAOIST-HIT SUNABEDA HAMLETS FLAGGED OFF Tuesday, 02 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar Photograph by Mayadhar Saraf, OTV, Nuapada The people of Sunabeda plateau here, which has been declared by the Government as a Maoist infested region, will have the luxury of a bus service in next few days. “The bus will now ply from the district headquarters Nuapada to Cherechuan village located at the foothills of the plateau until the next 20 km of road to Sunabeda is repaired,” said the special officer of the Chakotia Bhunjia Development Agency (CBDA), working for the development of Chakotia Bhunjia tribe of the district. Sunabeda plateau consisting of two gram panchayats under Komna block is primarily inhabited by people of Chakotia Bhunjia, Gond and Paharia tribes. This area is located in the western part of Odisha bodering Chhatishgarh and is considered a safe haven for various Maoist groups operating in the Andhra-Odisha and Chhatishgarh re...