Regulating Struggle for Bauxite Mine Safety: Native Asur communities in Jobhipat

Jobhipat Bauxite Mine is situated near village Narma, post office Jobhipat, police station Bishunpur, district Gumla, state Jharkhand with the local dialects like nagpuri, hindi, oriya, bihari and kurukh. This bauxite mine is spread across 1,29,445 ha with annual digging rate of 3,28,739 tons. If we go to it's historical legacy, then mining here started around may 1974 on 129.44 hectares then on lease basis for 20 years. Then Hindalco Industries Limited from the house of Aditya Birla Group came here with an renewal application and again started digging from 15th may, 1992. Later, the third renewal was approved on 15th may 2013, under Rule 12 of MCR 1960 and now the renewal is modified with rule no 17(3) of MCR 2016, which sanctions them a optimum lease period extended upto 17th may 2024, as per MMDR (Amendment) Act 2015. The land under mining was earlier comprising of mainly agricultural land, forest land and jungle jhari land which was quite more fertile then. The starting of mining by Hindalco Ltd is also of a tremendous struggling period for the locales. The story was something like this: the company once came and demanded land from all and usually get refused by all. Then they used their ministerial or can say administrative power. Suddenly, one day all the landholders of the village were brought and assembled to District Collector's Office and they all were somehow convinced temporarily. With some promisery note, they all signed their papers of land and handed over it to Aditya Birla Group in front of District Collector, in exchange of around ₹35,000 - ₹40,000 per acre of their land. The paper they signed, but the terms and conditions they didn't know although. Only a single candidate were promised to be employed from individual household for ₹5000 - ₹7000 wage per month. Daily around more than hundreds of trucks roam for transporting bauxite from this village. But, the villagers even don't know the simple calculation of profit. A truck-loading labour gets ₹800/- daily. So, if he continues to work thirty days a month consecutively, he can earn ₹800X30=₹24000/- per month. But, they were forced to sell their land and work lifetime as mine-workers as foolish workmen only for the sake of ₹7000 per month as well as lost their fertile land forever. But, the Hindalco company hires the truck-loading labours daily on temporary basis and without any written proof or documents, just on an oral basis. The expected life of these mines is around 7 years and the total estimated project cost invested is around Rs. 1.5 crores. This mining zone falls under opencast mechanised type and targeted number of working days are 300 days per annum. This mine area is situated under seismic zone-II and the total water requirement of the whole bauxite plant is around 26 kiloleters per day for multipurpose uses like drinking, dust suppression and greenbelt. There was a lapse period in bauxite upliftment recently between the period of 2014-15 to 2016-17. This mining project falls under Category "A" project or activity 1(a) as per Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006 and amendment done so far. This is a serious case of violation and here production has been done without obtaining environmental clearance. Similarly, there is an evil effect of this mining on the local community and the local environment. As a result, several health, environmental and social hazards they have to face. When anyone of them are physically damaged or breaks bones during their working period in their working place, the only facility which is available for them is the most basic primary level treatment near Gumla, Lohardagga side through a single most ambulance arranged by Hindalco Ltd itself for nearly around three hundreds of associate households. Day-by-day, the freshness of air is also settling down with increasing numbers of trucks through the narrow village lanes. There is also several changes in the local environment near the actual mine areas. The local residents oppose that the air has been abundantly polluted with presence of high level of dust. Many of the locals are suffering from unnecessary anxiety, asthma, red dust lung disease (similar like black lung disease for the workmen of coalmine), several skin problems and numerous bone fractures etc. But, they never oppose against such inhumanitarian treatment towards them because all the locals are of equal designations there. So, nobody can't arise a voice and lead a strong agitation against the big industrial whose who's. But, one thing about them is correct and supportive also i.e. the company used to dig the mines from one side and eventually they fills up the dug mines with soil to check land erosion and local level landslide there. Then on the top of that land, they plant forest plants enthusiastically and takes care of that till the last until it grows upto a complete forest. But, that land is of no use then for further agricultural point of view as it becomes highly infertile. So, the dwellers of Jobhipat gradually losing their hope from farming and leading a self-sustained life. And here lies the most evil social effect of bauxite mining in Jobhipat as this forcefully unwanted condition or can say situation leads or directs to emigration towards a secure like city life.

The bauxite of these mine areas are categorised under the metal grade or can say low grade bauxite. It's the most common practices of the consumers to take Bauxite having more than >46.96% Al2O3 as metal grade and this is purchased by Hindalco Industries Limited by Aditya Birla Group for consuming bauxite ore for metallurgical purpose.
             Prasun Sadhukhan, 5^th Semester, ARTD