[Onthebarricades] Land grab protests, October 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* BRAZIL: Amazonian protest over rocket base
* DENMARK: Encroachment by state on Christiania leads to clashes
* NEPAL: Vendors resist clearance by police
* SOUTH AFRICA: Police surrounded during protest over hawker seizures
* PHILIPPINES: Residents protest business site
* NEPAL: Vendors block road in protest over eviction
* SOUTH AFRICA: Anti-mall protesters offered jobs
* INDIA: Delhi - Indefinite dharna over land grab
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - demonstration over land grab by temple
* INDIA: Orissa, Bhubaneshwar - protests as POSCO opponents jailed
* INDIA: Ranchi - adivasis protest Arcelor Mittal steel plant land grab
* INDIA: Karnataka, Mangalore - land grab protests force alteration in 
bus-stand plan
* INDIA: Goa - detention of anti-megalopolis protester leads to protests
* INDIA: AP - rightists spearhead protest against SEZ
* INDIA: Mumbai - Narmada activist leads compensation rally
* INDIA: AP - police smash protest against corridor
* INDIA: Bonhoogly - protests delay gentrification project
* INDIA: Gurgaon - waste site protested
* INDIA: Simla - protesters storm meeting, oppose SEZ
* INDIA: AP, Guntar - protesters take over meeting
* US: Swap meet decline, rents protested
* NORTHERN IRELAND: Protest over cemetary boundary land grab






http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122351030853317377.html?mod=fox_australian

• OCTOBER 9, 2008
Space Invaders: Brazilian Villagers Launch Protests of Rocket Base
Descendants of Slaves Claim Land Rights In the Jungle; Disturbing the 
Natural Spirits
• Article
• Comments
more in World »
By MATT MOFFETT
MAMUNA, Brazil -- For 200 years, descendants of slaves have preserved a 
distinctive way of life in this village near the Amazon jungle. Amid the 
stone ruins of plantations, they farmed communally, played drums made of 
tree trunks and revered spirits in the wilderness.
But then, not long ago, Mamuna was shaken by some strangers: Brazilian 
and Ukrainian rocket scientists. The scientists said that they intended 
to use land near the village to expand an aging rocket base into a 
world-class space center capable of launching commercial satellites.

One day in February, a work crew clearing land for the new site suddenly 
encountered a log roadblock manned by about 60 Mamuna inhabitants, 
carrying machetes and scythes. "We weren't giving up our lands to 
outsiders -- not even brilliant scientists," says Militina Garcia 
Serejo, a community leader who helped bring the crew's work to a halt. 
In September, a federal judge backed the villagers' action, issuing an 
injunction halting further construction on the space project, pending a 
decision on who should have title to the lands.
In Mamuna and hundreds of other places throughout Brazil, a more 
assertive black-rights movement is battling for recognition of 
quilombos, settlements founded by runaway or freed slaves. But with 
Brazil's economy surging in recent years and land coveted for 
development, the territorial push is triggering a flurry of conflicts 
with businesses, farmers and the armed forces.
Anthropologists estimate that Brazil has around 3,500 quilombos. The 
settlements are an important part of the national saga of a country in 
which roughly half the population is black or mixed race. Each Nov. 20, 
on Black Consciousness Day, Brazilians commemorate the life of Zumbi, a 
slave who escaped from Portuguese colonizers and led a vibrant 
17th-century quilombo called Palmares.
Brazil's 1988 constitution, ratified at the end of a military 
dictatorship, guaranteed land titles to quilombo inhabitants. But 
titling was such an arduous bureaucratic process that in the next 15 
years fewer than 100 quilombos received titles. Residents of the rest of 
the quilombos were vulnerable to being kicked out of their homes.
In 2003, Brazil's newly inaugurated leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula 
da Silva, faced demands to recognize quilombo lands from the country's 
increasingly energized black-rights movement. Along with other 
concessions to black Brazilians, such as university quotas, Mr. da Silva 
issued a decree that made it easier for quilombos to obtain legal land 
titles. That triggered a surge in land claims -- and resulting court 
clashes.
Slave descendants have been battling Aracruz Celulose SA, a New York 
Stock Exchange-listed pulp producer, over 42,000 acres, three times the 
area of Manhattan; vying with the Brazilian navy for control of 
Marambaia Island, site of a naval base; and fighting property 
speculators in western Mato Grosso state for land that's believed to 
have gold deposits.
This year, amid pressure by agribusiness, Mr. da Silva backtracked, and 
issued rules that make it harder for quilombos to obtain titles. But 
many quilombo residents are still fighting.
Grim Reminder
The most high-profile struggle has pitted Mamuna and neighboring 
quilombos against the rocket base located on a peninsula in the Atlantic 
Ocean near the town of Alcântara. In the 18th century, the area was a 
center for cotton and sugar plantations, located near a major port of 
entry for African slaves.
A grim reminder of the slave era is the whipping post in downtown 
Alcântara, now preserved for tourists. In the early 1800s, cotton prices 
collapsed and slave holders on the peninsula began abandoning their 
plantations. Ex-slaves took over the lands, leading to the emergence of 
most of the 100 or so quilombos, with roughly 16,000 inhabitants, that 
survive on the peninsula today.
While quilombo residents keep their own palm-thatched houses, farm land 
is considered communal property. Decisions on who farms where are made 
by community leaders, a number of whom are women. Many quilombo dwellers 
also believe in encantados, spirits existing in nature. Mamuna residents 
say one encantado inhabits a rock outcropping on a beach, from which a 
drumming sound is said to emanate.
Reuters
A rocket is launched off the Alcântara Launch Center in 2007.
The space program entered the picture in the early 1980s, when the 
military government announced it was expropriating a large swath of the 
peninsula to build a rocket base. Alcântara was selected as the site 
because of its proximity to the equator, where the Earth rotates faster, 
reducing the amount of fuel needed to launch rockets.
The construction of the base, in 1986, forced more than 300 families to 
resettle from quilombos to smaller parcels far from their fishing 
grounds. Sérvulo de Jesus Moraes Borges, a leader of a local opposition 
group to the base, says the space program hasn't created many good jobs 
for peninsula residents due to an "intellectual apartheid" between 
well-trained space workers and quilombo residents who often lack access 
to basic schooling.
In 2003, a public prosecutor filed a class-action suit on behalf of the 
peninsula's quilombo residents, urging that they be granted land titles 
and chastising the government for "creating innumerable obstacles for 
[residents'] continuity and cultural reproduction."
In court filings, the Brazilian Space Agency has noted that the base has 
brought benefits to the peninsula, hastening the arrival of basic 
infrastructure like electricity and telephones. José de Ribamar Alves, a 
congressman from the area, adds that the base is geopolitically vital. 
"We have to think of the national interest," he says.
Disturbing the Spirits
Plagued by tight budgets and conflicts between military and civilian 
managers, however, the Alcântara base has struggled to do more than 
launch suborbital research rockets. The biggest setback came in August 
2003, when a satellite rocket blew up on an Alcântara launching pad, 
killing 21 scientists and technicians.
In 2006, the Space Agency moved to revitalize the base by starting a 
venture with Ukraine's government, which would supply its proven Cyclone 
rocket. The binational company, Alcântara Cyclone Space, would offer 
services for commercial launches, planners said. The company planned a 
12,000-acre expansion of the Alcântara base that would include a 
shopping center, staff living quarters, university classrooms and 
research laboratories. In an interview, Volodymyr Lakomov, Ukraine's 
ambassador to Brazil, said he thought the arrival of the "industry of 
the 21st century" would remake the peninsula for the better.
But Mamuna residents say they simply want to preserve a lifestyle rooted 
in the 19th century. The villagers confronted the Alcântara Cyclone work 
crew this year after it cut a 15-foot-wide road and dug holes in a palm 
forest where Mamuna residents say they traditionally gathered fruit, 
according to the public prosecutor's petition for an injunction against 
the project, filed in May. The suit also cited an anthropological study 
asserting that workmen had disturbed Mamuna's "rich immaterial 
patrimony" -- that is, the encantados, or nature spirits.
Roberto Amaral, director general of Alcântara Cyclone, says the crew 
never set foot on Mamuna's land and that the dispute is a "false 
conflict." He says tensions are being stirred up by nongovernmental 
groups, some of whom, he suggests, may be doing the bidding of wealthy 
nations that don't want Brazil to advance as a space power.
The Brazilian judge sided with Mamuna, however. Alcântara Cyclone says 
the expansion is off for now, but it will try launching a Ukrainian 
rocket from the existing base in 2010.






http://news.guelphmercury.com/Wire/News_Wire/World/article/397555

Eviction of squatters sparks clashes in Copenhagen; 2 hurt, 15 arrested

October 29, 2008
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE CANADIAN PRESS, 2008

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Danish police say 15 people have been arrested and 
two officers injured after riot police clashed with dozens of 
demonstrators protesting the eviction of squatters in Copenhagen.
Police fired tear gas to dispel the crowd of protesters, who set fires 
to barricades and pelted police with rocks and firebombs.
The clashes started late Tuesday after police helped evict squatters 
from a building in Christiania, a partially self-governing section of 
Copenhagen.
Police say the clashes lasted until early Wednesday.
The community was founded when dozens of hippies occupied a derelict 
18th-century fort on state-owned land on the outskirts of the capital.
Its more than 900 residents have a tense relationship with authorities.






http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct15/news04.php

Police, street vendors clash in Kalanki
Police have arrested at least half-a-dozen street vendors from Kalanki 
in the capital Wednesday morning in their effort to remove shops from 
footpaths.
As the police started removing the shops, the vendors attacked in 
response. The clashes that followed resulted in injury of a few vendors. 
Two hours of scuffle between the two sides forced vehicular movement to 
halt for almost two hours.
The police have informed the street vendors to remove their shops from 
sidewalks. The initiative was taken to ease the traffic congestion and 
the trouble pedestrians have been facing due to the shops.
Shops on the sidewalks in many other busy areas like Ratnapark, Jamal 
and Bagbazaar were also removed today.
The valley traffic police office has set up an 80-member team to remove 
street vendors and construction materials from roadsides. Warnings have 
been issued that violation of warning will result in seizure of the 
goods and legal punishment. nepalnews.com ia Oct 15 08







http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Environment&set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20081003054653436C547723

Police, street hawkers clash in Marabastad

October 03 2008 at 10:27AM

By Barry Bateman and Hazel Sambo

Tempers flared on Thursday when the Tshwane metro police confiscated 
truckloads of goods from hawkers trading illegally outside the 
Marabastad Retail Mall.

Later the officers responded to a complaint from a Boom Street shop 
owner whose entire shop front had become swamped with illegal traders.

There pepper spray was used to disperse the crowd which had gathered 
around the handful of officers.

'How are we supposed to make a living?'
Operational commander Senior Superintendent Doortjie Janse van Rensburg 
said the operation was a continuation of an ongoing campaign to clean up 
the area.

She said their by-law directorate was focusing on Marabastad and Sunnyside.

Janse van Rensburg said one of the biggest problems in Marabastad was 
self-appointed leaders who charged the traders rent to trade on council 
property.

On Wednesday, the metro police opened the country's first by-law 
enforcement centre at their headquarters on the corner of Church Street 
and DF Malan Drive.

Jansen van Rensburg said members of the public should send complaints to 
their office so they could investigate and act.

It was such a complaint that the unit responded to outside the shop in 
Boom Street.

Informal trader Ismail Molokwane said he had lost fruit worth hundreds 
of rands.

"How are we supposed to make a living? We have got families to feed."

Molokwane said the officers never warned them before arriving to 
confiscate their goods and accused the police of stealing their living. 
But Jansen van Rensburg said they had visited the area on two previous 
occasions, first to warn them, then to issue fines and now to confiscate 
goods which would be returned on payment of a fine.

James Masemola said he would have to resort to drastic measures to feed 
his family. "We all have children. If our children have no food I must 
make a plan."

Masemola, who claimed he earned about R300 a week, said they traded in 
the parking lot in front of the mall because it was close to the bus 
depot and thus their customers.

"The council wants us to sell our goods far away from here, who is going 
to see us then?"

Russia Kgatla said if the council was going to chase away the hawkers, 
they should provide them with jobs.

"We are not above the law, but the law must take us into account. While 
the police are chasing us away, the criminals are busy in the city.

The police target us because we're soft targets. They are too scared to 
stand up to the criminals," he said.






http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20081027-168697/QC-residents-protest-business-site

QC residents protest business site
By Julie M. Aurelio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 13:58:00 10/27/2008

Filed Under: Protest, Infrastructure, Housing & Urban Planning
MANILA, Philippines -- Residents to be affected by the proposed Central 
Business District in Quezon City marched to city hall on Monday to 
protest their pending displacement from their homes without a relocation 
site.
Some 50 protesters gathered mid-morning to ask Mayor Feliciano Belmonte 
Jr. not to push through with the QC- CBD project, which will be built at 
the site of North Triangle, Barangay (village) Palanas, parts of the 
villages of Pag-Asa, Central, and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.
Santiago Dasmarinas Jr., spokesman of Concerned Organizations against 
Transfer, Layoff, Demolition and Privatization for QC CBD said more than 
24,000 families would be rendered homeless by the project.
The city government is planning to construct commercial, medical tourism 
and information technology complexes at the CBD in order to attract more 
investors and raise tax collections.
"Pushing with the CBD project will be sacrificing the plight of the poor 
residents who will have nowhere to go, as well as the government 
agencies to be displaced by the project," Dasmarinas said.






http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/oct/oct21/news06.php

Irate vendors hold protest
Angry at the government for evicting them from footpath, vendors 
gathered in front of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Tuesday morning.

Street vendors organising a demonstration in front of the Ministry of 
Local...

The street vendors blocked the traffic movement and protested the 
government decision demanding that they be rehabilitated.
Police had to use force to clear the road in Sundhara.
The vendors are also preparing to hold similar protests in front of 
Local Development Ministry and Lalitpur sub metropolitan office.
After the decision of the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev 
Gautam, the police have evicted street vendors from Kalanki, Gongabu, 
Ratnapark and Lagankhel areas.
Gautam has said that by opening shops in footpath, the street vendors 
have caused several problems including that of traffic jam. "A footpath 
is for pedestrians to walk. It is not for running business," he said.
Meanwhile, the government has formed a committee headed by former 
Kathmandu mayor Keshab Sthapit to study and find ways to relocate the 
evicted street vendors. nepalnews.com sd Oct 21 08







http://www.nowpublic.com/world/street-hawkers-protesting-nepalese-capital

Street hawkers protesting in Nepalese capital
by Sanjay Jha | October 16, 2008 at 03:41 am

43 views | 0 Recommendations | add comment

Nepal's street hawker are protesting against home minister's order of 
eviction from the capital Kathmandu. Vendors were swept off the streets 
by the latest order of the minister. Hundreds of street vendors and 
petty shopkeepers in different parts of the capital city who depended on 
the sidewalks for their livelihood, bore the brunt of the police crackdown.

Minister's eviction bomb has blown to smithereens the chances of 
survival of street vendors, who were eking out a precarious living on 
the edge.

Street vendors protested against the evacuation of footpath stalls in 
the capital on Thursday.

The irate vendors are protesting in front of the Kathmandu Metropolitan 
Office demanding to provide an alternative area to operate their business.

Meanwhile, vehicular movement at Sundhara area has been affected due to 
the protest.

The traffic police have started vacating footpath stalls in the capital 
from yesterday stating that the market along the footpath of busy roads 
has created problems for pedestrians and are also responsible for chaos 
in the traffic and increasing road accidents.

The police cleared the footpath stalls at Kalanki and Satdobato area 
yesterday.

Meanwhile, traffic police is clearing the footpath stalls at New 
Baneshwor and Koteshwor area today.






http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Development&set_id=1&click_id=124&art_id=vn20081017120053403C367931

Mzoli promises protesters jobs

October 17 2008 at 01:28PM

By Natasha Prince

Backyard dwellers from Gugulethu, who have protested against the 
development of a shopping complex in the area, are to be recruited to 
work at the site from Tuesday as part of an agreement reached with the 
developer.

An agreement was reached with developer Mzoli Ngcawuzela, who also owns 
the popular restaurant Mzoli's Place in Gugulethu, and the 
representatives of the Anti-Eviction Campaign after tempers flared at 
the site on Thursday.

About 200 residents, most of whom were unemployed, gathered at the 
entrance to the site near the local taxi rank at about 7am in an attempt 
to halt further construction of the development.

The disgruntled residents were led by Mncedisi Twalo of the Anti 
Eviction Campaign.

On Tuesday residents also descended on the site to protest against the 
development.

Twalo said they had gathered because yesterday was the deadline of a 
three-day grace period given to the developer to respond to their 
objections, including their demands that Ngcawuzela employ people from 
the area to work at the site.

"We've given Mzoli three days to respond. These people need to be part 
and parcel of the development."

Ngcawuzela addressed the group and later met the groups' representatives.

After the meeting, Ngcawuzela said residents would be employed at the 
site as the development gradually progressed.

"We are very committed to this, people from the area need to be involved 
in community developments."

He said he did not feel pressured into the decision.

Before the meeting, the protesting backyard dwellers cordoned off the 
street leading to the site's entrance with bricks, and police arrived to 
control the group.

Some protesters held aloft placards, while others wore T-shirts 
displaying the names of community organisations.

Twalo addressed the crowd and listed their grievances from a memorandum.

The protesters rebuked those wearing T-shirts with political branding, 
telling them their protest was "not a political campaign".

A resident said that on Thursday night campaign members had called for 
support by driving through the area with loud-hailers, telling people to 
meet at the site, where they would be given jobs.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/04/stories/2008100461080300.htm

New Delhi

Clash between farmers, forces imminent
Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
________________________________________
Indefinite dharna over appropriate compensation for acquired land
________________________________________
NEW DELHI: With the siege of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in 
North-West Delhi by farmers seeking higher compensation for land and 
review of the acquisition policies entering the 23rd day on Friday, a 
showdown between the security forces and the agitators appears imminent.
According to Jan Sangharsh Vahini convenor Bhupendra Singh Rawat, units 
of Rapid Action Force and other Central police forces have moved to the 
area and gradually replaced Delhi Police personnel, indicating that the 
Delhi Government now wants to end the agitation by force.
Mr. Rawat said the move had come hot on the heels of a Tis Hazari court 
order in which the Delhi Government was fined Rs.10,000 for its 
inability to deal with the situation.
As for the agitation, Mr. Rawat said a large number of farmers are 
sitting on an indefinite dharna at Kanjhawala since September 11 because 
the Government had not paid them appropriate compensation for acquired 
land. “The farmers were earlier demanding enhanced compensation, but now 
they are pressing for cancellation of the acquisition and restoration of 
their acquired land,” he said.
The issue pertaining to 1,400 acres in Kanjhawala, Sultanpur Dabas, 
Karala, Tikri Kalan, Pooth Khurd, Tikri khurd, Alipur, Bakoli and other 
villages began after the Delhi Government issued the notification for 
acquisition. Since the market value of the land was several times 
higher, the farmers have been pressing for “realistic” compensation 
along with a proper rehabilitation package.
Mr. Rawat said that strong-arm tactics by the Delhi Government would not 
scare the farmers.
The working president of Bharatiya Kisan Union, Naresh Dabas, said till 
the time the farmers get their just dues the agitation would continue. 
He also reiterated that, like in other parts of the country, the farmers 
of Delhi too would go to any extent to preserve their livelihood and honour.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/20/stories/2008102058410300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Srirangam residents stage demonstration
Special Correspondent
Resolve to meet Nehru, Periakaruppan and seek audience with CM
— Photo: M. Moorthy

Intensifying stir: Residents of Srirangam staging a demonstration on 
Sunday.
TIRUCHI: A large number of residents of Srirangam staged a demonstration 
in front of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple on Sunday protesting the 
notices issued to a section of residents by the temple administration 
claiming ownership rights over their properties.
The temple administration, in the notices, had asked the residents to 
acknowledge the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple as the owner of their 
property and pay rent. Affected residents, who have asserted that the 
temple had no stake in their property, have launched a campaign against 
the move.
On Sunday, residents gathered under the banner of Srirangam Town Welfare 
Association, staged a demonstration in front of the temple. They 
condemned the issue of notices by the temple administration and asserted 
that they were the rightful owners of the property. The agitation was 
led by K. Padmanaban.
A spokesperson said the residents have resolved to meet the Transport 
Minister K.N. Nehru and HR & CE Minister K.R. Periakaruppan to discuss 
the issue and also seek an appointment with the Chief Minister M. 
Karunanidhi to represent their case.






http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B125087.htm

Tension in Indian state as POSCO protest leader held
13 Oct 2008 07:52:31 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Jatindra Dash
BHUBANESWAR, India, Oct 13 (Reuters) - More than 500 policemen have been 
deployed in eastern Orissa state after the arrest of a senior leader who 
had been spearheading protests against South Korean steel maker POSCO 
<005490.KS>.
India's Supreme Court in August allowed POSCO use of large tracts of 
forest land to build a $12 billion plant -- the country's largest 
foreign investment -- which villagers say will force them off farmland 
and displace about 20,000 people.
POSCO and the state say the plant, in Jagatsinghpur district, will 
create jobs in an impoverished part of the country.
Police arrested Abhay Sahu, chairman of the anti-POSCO group PPSS, on 
Sunday in connection with attacks on the house of a POSCO supporter two 
years ago, a police official said.
At least 24 criminal cases related to Sahu's group were pending, he 
said, adding police feared Sahu's supporters may step up protests after 
his arrest.
"We have deployed adequate police personnel to avoid any untoward 
incidents," senior police officer Kumarmani Meher said.
The region has witnessed numerous clashes since POSCO inked a deal in 
June 2005.
A POSCO official on Monday said they were still awaiting mining 
approvals from the government.
A spokesman for PPSS said their protests would continue.
"If he is not released immediately the government will be held 
responsible for consequences," Prasant Paikray said, adding PPSS would 
"carry on the struggle against the company".
Earlier this month, Tata Motors Ltd <TAMO.BO> quit West Bengal state 
after violent protests by farmers who lost land forced it to stop 
production.
Also in Orissa, miner Vedanta Resources Plc <VED.L> has run into 
opposition to its plans to mine bauxite in hills considered sacred by 
tribal people.
The Supreme Court in August greenlighted Vedanta's plan, part of an $800 
million project in the resource-rich state.
The protests reflect a larger standoff between industry and farmers 
unwilling to give up land in a country where two-thirds of the 
population depends on agriculture for a living. (Editing by Alistair 
Scrutton)






http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-32411.html

Anti-Posco agitators protest leader's arrest
Bhubaneswar, Oct 13: Hundreds of anti-Posco agitators Monday blocked 
roads and demonstrated for hours in Orissa’s Jagatsinghpur district in 
protest against the arrest of a leader Sunday, the police said here.
While 500 people demonstrated in front of the block office at Erasama 
near here, about 300 people blocked a road at Kujanga, the police said.

The anti-Posco protesters later assembled at Dhinkia village and 
organised a public meeting, where they vowed to intensify their 
agitation against the $12-billion steel plant that South Korean giant 
Posco proposes to set up in the district near Paradeep, about 100 km 
from here.

The police arrested Abhaya Kumar Sahu, who is spearheading a movement 
against Posco Sunday evening. According to the police, there are over 20 
criminal cases pending against him.

This is the first time that Sahu has been arrested after over three 
years of agitation against the Posco project that involves the largest 
foreign direct investment in India.

"Armed policemen had to be deployed in Dhinkia, Nuagan and Gadakujang 
areas, where Sahu has a large following," assistant superintendent of 
police Kumarmani Meher told IANS over phone.

Sources said 500 policemen were deployed in the region.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of 
India-Marxist (CPI-M) have also reacted strongly and condemned the 
arrest. “He has been arrested on false charges” a CPI leader told IANS.

Tension prevailed in parts of the coastal district as Sahu’s party 
activists demanded his immediate release.

“We have demanded his immediate release. If he is not released, the 
administration will be held responsible for the consequences,” said 
Prasant Paikray, spokesperson for the protesters.

Posco, the world’s fourth largest steel maker, signed a deal with the 
state government in June 2005 to build a steel plant by 2016.

However, over 20,000 people from around 15 nearby villages have opposed 
the project, saying it would take away their homes and livelihood.

Posco says the plant would affect only 500 families but would create 
thousands of jobs.
--- IANS






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/15/stories/2008101557670300.htm

Other States - Orissa

Parties stage protest demanding release of Abhay Sahoo
Staff Reporter
No untoward incident reported
— Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

On the warpath: Leaders and activists of major opposition parties 
demonstrate demanding release of arrested anti-Posco leader Abhaya Sahoo 
in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
BHUBANESWAR: Several opposition political parties on Tuesday came out 
protesting arrest of Abhaya Sahoo, who was spearheading anti-land 
acquisition movement against setting up of 12 million tonne per annum 
capacity steel plant by South Korean steel major POSCO.
Protest continued for the second consecutive day in the capital city 
with some human rights activists and non-Leftist parties joining the 
chorus for immediate release of the leader.
Mr. Sahoo, who had mobilised villagers under the banner of Posco 
Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), was arrested by Jagatsinghpur police on 
Sunday evening.
Though there was palpable tension in the Dhinkia and Gobindpur gram 
panchayats, the proposed project area for the steel plant, no untoward 
incident was reported from the district.
Displacement
In the morning activists of the Communist Party of India, Communist 
Party of India (Marxist), Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), 
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), CPI (ML) and newly floated Samruddha 
Odisha took out a rally.
They blocked the vehicular movement on the busy Master Canteen square 
for an hour.
Addressing the gathering CPI’s State general secretary Dibakar Nayak 
said the leader was democratically leading a movement against 
displacement while Naveen Patnaik-led government tried to throttle 
people’s agitation using the force.
Leaders accused that a “motivated” police force arrested the PPSS leader 
although he was ill. “Mr. Sahoo should be released from jail without any 
prior condition. Those responsible for arrest of CPI leader should be 
brought to book,” Mr. Nayak said.
Mr. Sahoo, who rarely came out from Dhinkia village, fell into police 
net while returning to his place.
He was later sent to Choudwar Jail after his bail plea was rejected.
There were a number of cases ranging from attacking police persons to 
kidnapping piled against him.
Left parties and human rights activists resolved to intensify their 
agitation further until he was released from the jail.
On Tuesday, a few Congress and CPI leaders went to Dhinkia village 
calling upon villagers to continue their agitation against acquisition 
of land for the steel project.






http://uk.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUKDEL15398420081027?feedType=RSS&feedName=tnBasicIndustries-SP

Students protest against POSCO plant in east India
Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:34am GMT

BHUBANESWAR, India, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Hundreds of students marched in 
eastern India to protest against a proposed plant by South Korean steel 
maker POSCO (005490.KS), police said on Monday, the latest in a series 
of protests delaying the project.
India's Supreme Court ruled in August that POSCO could use large tracts 
of forest land to build the $12 billion plant -- the country's largest 
foreign investment. Villagers say the construction will force them off 
farmland and displace about 20,000 people.
POSCO and the state have said the plant in Jagatsinghpur district of the 
mineral-rich state, will create jobs in an impoverished part of the country.
Last month, police arrested an anti-POSCO leader, triggering violent 
protests.
The protests reflect a larger standoff between industry and farmers 
unwilling to give up land in India where two-thirds of the population 
depends on agriculture for a living.
Earlier this month, Tata Motors Ltd (TAMO.BO) quit West Bengal state 
after violent protests by farmers who lost land forced it to stop 
production.
(Reporting by Jatindra Dash; Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Jeremy 
Laurence) ((bappa.majumdar at thomsonreuters.com; +91-11-41781003; Reuters 
Messaging:bappa.majumdar.reuters.net at reuters.com))





http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-37062.html

Orissa students hold anti-Posco protest
Jagatsinghpur, Oct 27 : Hundreds of college and school students have 
launched a protest against the proposed steel plant by South Korean 
steel major Posco in the region, police said Monday.
The students from Nuagaon, Gada Kujanga and Dhinkia villages carried out 
processions holding placards, banners and posters Sunday at Dhinkia - 
the epicentre of the anti-Posco agitation in the coastal district of 
Jagatsinghpur, over 100 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.

They demanded the withdrawal of the project from the area and the 
release of anti-Posco leader Abhaya Kumar Sahu, who was arrested Oct 12.

”The protest was peaceful,” Arun Sahu, a police official, told IANS.

According to the police, there are over 20 criminal cases pending 
against Sahu, who is also a senior leader of the Communist Party of 
India (CPI).

Posco, the world's fourth largest steel maker, signed a deal with the 
Orissa government in June 2005 to build a steel plant by 2016.

However, over 20,000 people from around 15 nearby villages have opposed 
the project, saying it would take away their homes and livelihood.

Posco says the plant would affect only 500 families but would create 
thousands of jobs. The project has not made any progress because of the 
protest by local villagers.
--- IANS






http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-37171.html

Hundreds protest anti-Posco activist's arrest in Orissa
Bhubaneswar, Oct 27 : Around 300 people, including villagers and 
opposition party leaders, staged a demonstration in Orissa's Cuttack 
city Monday, demanding the release of anti-Posco leader Abhaya Kumar 
Sahu who was arrested Oct 12.
The villagers, joined by members of the Communist Party of India (CPI) 
and other opposition party leaders, carried out a procession and staged 
their protest near the office of Director General of Police (DGP) 
Manmohan Praharaj in Cuttack, around 25 km from here.

“We met the DGP and submitted a memorandum demanding the release of our 
leader,” said Amarendra Mohanty, one of the demonstrators.

“Police have arrested him on false charges,” he said.

According to the police, there are over 20 criminal cases pending 
against Sahu, who is also a senior CPI leader.

Posco, the world's fourth largest steelmaker, signed a deal with the 
Orissa government in June 2005 to build a steel plant by 2016 in 
Jagatsinghpur district, over 100 km from here.

However, over 20,000 people from around 15 nearby villages have opposed 
the project, saying it would take away their homes and livelihood.

Posco says the plant would affect only 500 families but would create 
thousands of jobs. The project has not made any progress because of the 
protest by local villagers.

Hundreds of college and school students had Sunday launched a protest in 
Jagatsinghpur against the proposed steel plant and also demanded Sahu's 
release.

The students from Nuagaon, Gada Kujanga and Dhinkia villages carried out 
processions holding placards, banners and posters in Dhinkia - the 
epicentre of the anti-Posco agitation in the coastal district.
--- IANS









http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL169034.htm

Indian tribals protest against Arcelor Mittal plant
20 Oct 2008 09:05:14 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Nityanand Shukla
RANCHI, India, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of villagers marched in 
eastern India on Monday to protest against a proposed Arcelor Mittal 
steel plant, police said, the latest in a series of confrontations over 
industry on farmlands.
Armed with bows and sickles, the villagers, members of poor local tribes 
in thestate of Jharkhand, held banners that said: "We need food, not 
steel". They shouted slogans, swearing they would give up their lives 
but not their farmlands.
The world's largest steelmaker is planning an $8.2 billion plant in the 
mineral-rich state, which it hopes to build over four years.
The company needs 11,000 acres (4,450 hectares) for the 12 million tonne 
plant and an industrial town.
But angry villagers say they will not give up land for the project.
"We will not give an inch of land to Mittal steel," Dayamani Barla, a 
protest leader, said. "We will further intensify our agitation, if the 
Mittals make any effort to grab our land."
A company official in Ranchi, the state capital, said they were trying 
to defuse the situation by talking to villagers.
The protest reflects a larger stand-off between industry and farmers 
unwilling to surrender land in a country where two-thirds of the 
population depends on agriculture for a living.
Experts say state governments and companies will have to pay more 
attention to the needs of farmers in a country where industrialisation 
pressures are mounting.
Violent protests by farmers and political opposition forced India's Tata 
Motors Ltd <TAMO.BO> to move the factory for its low-cost Nano car out 
of West Bengal state earlier this month.
The communist government also had to abort plans to set up a Special 
Economic Zone for a chemicals complex in the state last year.
Angry protests by farmers have delayed construction of a steel plant in 
Orissa state by South Korean steel firm POSCO <005490.KS>, which could 
be India's single biggest foreign investment to date.
An alumina refinery by Vedanta Resources PLC <VED.L> in Orissa has also 
been delayed due to tribal protests.
The villagers in Jharkhand opposing the Mittal project distributed 
15,000 fliers in dozens of villages around the proposed plant site, 
urging people not to part with their land. (Writing by Bappa Majumdar; 
Editing by Simon Denyer and Alex Richardson)







http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/13/stories/2008101358150300.htm

Karnataka - Mangalore

Bus-stand land acquisition plan altered owing to people’s protest
Special Correspondent
Houses on the proposed site will not be disturbed, say officials
________________________________________
The area originally planned for bus-stand reduced to seven acres
‘We will still be deprived of peace and tranquillity in the locality’
________________________________________

DEVELOPMENT: A view of the proposed site for the satellite bus-stand 
near Pumpwell Circle in Mangalore.
MANGALORE: Yielding to protests from people, the district administration 
has modified its plans to acquire about 11 acre of land near Mahaveer 
(Pumpwell) Circle. It has now decided to spare the houses and acquire 
only the vacant lands and farmlands, measuring about seven acres.
The lands are being acquired for a bus-stand opposite the headquarters 
of Karnataka Bank between Mahaveer (Pumpwell) Circle and Nanthur Junction.
Special land acquisition officer of Mangalore City Corporation S. 
Krishnamurthy, who he functions under district administration, told The 
Hindu that about 11.62 acres of land, including those with buildings, 
had been proposed for acquisition, originally. But, in the wake of 
protests, only the vacant lands, measuring a little over seven acres, 
would be acquired.
About 200 families were facing displacement as per the original plan, 
according to M. Aravinda, president of the Maroli Mattu Kadri B. Gramada 
Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti, which was formed by the residents of the 
area to fight against land acquisition.
Mr. Aravinda said the acquisition of properties was opposed because 
people had built houses with their hard earned money and many were still 
repaying the loans. They had no means to shift their houses elsewhere. 
Besides, they were not confident of getting market value as compensation 
from the Government. The people have now stopped their agitation as the 
district administration decided in their favour. However, they continue 
to resent the plans to set up bus-stand in their vicinity. “When there 
is bus-stand, lot of people frequent the area, regularly” said Shailaja 
Kamath, a retired Government employee residing in the area. She, 
however, considered lucky that as per the changed plan, the bus-stand 
was going a little away from her house. Mr. Aravinda said the bus stand 
would disturb the peace and tranquillity of the place. “All kinds of 
legal and illegal activities are bound to take place when you have a 
bus-stand,” he said.
He said when people bought lands and built houses there, they had hoped 
for a peaceful life, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and in 
the middle of the greenery. He said the area was part of a greenbelt as 
per the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).
On the other hand, the original proposal to set up a large private and 
government bus-stands are likely to take a beating consequent to a 
change in the plans for land acquisition. The KSRTC Mangalore division 
had asked for a five-acre land, which might not be possible in the 
changed scenario. “Let us see, how much land we can get,” said its 
senior divisional manager, P.B. Karumbaiah. He said the division wanted 
to operate all services to nearby cities, Puttur, Sullia, Subrahmanya, 
Darmasthala and Kasaragod from there.






http://www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-37392.html

Goa group protests detention of writer-activist
Panaji, Oct 27 : The Goa Bachao Abhiyaan (GBA - Save Goa Campaign), 
fighting against unplanned and rampant construction of mega projects in 
Goa - has criticised the police detention of writer-activist Venita 
Coelho after she questioned the village head about a long pending project.
On Sunday, the police detained Coelho immediately after she questioned 
the village sarpanch (head) at a gram sabha (village meeting) about the 
status of the 20-year development plan of her village, Moira.

Immediately after she raised her query, a boisterous group surrounded 
Coelho and started heckling and threatening her. However, the police 
instead of controlling the mob took Coelho to the Mapusa police station, 
where she was detained for three hours.

Coelho, who has written screenplays for several Bollywood films, is a 
member of the Moira Action Committee (MAC) and the GBA, which have been 
protesting the rampant illegal construction in the state.

'The police pulled me forcibly out of my chair and dragged me to the 
police jeep. I was driven straight to the police station and held for 
three hours. When friends asked if they could accompany me, they were 
pushed away from the police van,' Coelho told IANS.

When contacted C.L. Patil, in-charge of the Mapusa police station where 
Coelho was detained, claimed that the police acted on the directions of 
the village head. 'Venita Coelho was detained at the police station in 
order to avoid any untoward incident at the gram sabha,' Patil told the 
media.

Coelho claims she is a legitimate member of the gram sabha and was well 
within her rights to question the panchayat.

The GBA in an official statement has condemned the use of police force 
to intimidate and overpower law-abiding citizens.

'Venita Coelho is a valid electoral card-holder, who was removed from 
Sunday's Moira gram sabha by the police. We see this as an assault on 
democracy and an erosion of rights. It is high time the elected 
government acts and restore confidence,' the press note adds.

Vociferous protests against large-scale construction projects and mining 
leases have become a consistent feature in Goan gram sabhas in the last 
couple of years. After village heads started becoming targets of public 
ire, the grams sabhas are now being conducted in police presence.
--- IANS






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102653140300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

BJP protests against KSEZ
Staff Reporter
Kakinada: A large number of BJP activists led by their State president 
Bandaru Dattatreya and farmers took part in a protest demonstration 
against the Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in front of the 
Collector’s office here on Saturday.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Dattatreya said the process of land 
acquisition for the KSEZ was replete with human rights violations and 
some middlemen were doing real estate business with the land in 
collusion with those who call the shots in the ruling party.
‘Harassment’
Nowhere else in the State was such a large area acquired in the name of 
an SEZ in blatant violation of norms, he said. The farmers were coerced 
to part with their valuable lands and those who resisted the attempts to 
snatch their small land holdings were being harassed by the police at 
the behest of some vested interests, Mr. Dattatreya alleged.
Mr. Dattatreya regretted that the government did not feel it proper to 
suspend the project even after the High Court was approached by the 
aggrieved sections. The State Human Rights Commission’s strictures also 
appeared to have been brushed aside.
‘Cancel project’
The BJP leader demanded that the KSEZ be cancelled and land given back 
to the farmers to enable them to eke out a living out of it. His party 
would not hesitate to shelve such projects which jeopardize the lives of 
such poor communities who have been enduring oppression for a long time. 
BJP State secretary Somu Veerraju and district president K. Sarvarayudu 
were among those who took part in the agitation. They also raised the 
issues of price rise and lawlessness in the State under the current 
dispensation.
‘Lands will be returned’
Rajahmundry: The NDA, if elected to power, would return the fertile 
lands acquired for the SEZs in the country, including the 12,000 acres 
acquired for the facility in Kakinada, Mr. Dattatreya told newsmen here.
He charged the State government with unnecessarily acquiring huge extent 
of land in Kakinada and allotting some 4,280 acres of the extent to 
private landlord at government price. Majority of the farmers are poor 
and hold fertile lands. “As if this is not enough, most of the villages 
in two mandals are discriminated against vis-À-vis implementation of 
welfare schemes ever since the land there was notified as SEZ in 1994,” 
he charged. Despite opposition of farmers in Tammavaram village to part 
with their lands, Mr. Dattatreya alleged that the government acquired 
some 19 acres and allotted it to a local MLA.








http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/15/stories/2008101556260700.htm

Other States - Mumbai

Medha protests in Mumbai
Rahi Gaikwad
Seeks compensation for project-hit people
MUMBAI: Ahead of the State Cabinet meeting, usually slated for 
Wednesday, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and people 
affected by various projects in Maharashtra protested outside Tilak 
Bhawan, the Congress party headquarters in Mumbai.
Police rushed to the spot and brought Ms. Patkar and the agitators to 
Azad Maidan by 2.15 p.m.
The agitation covers lands acquired over the years and even as far back 
as a hundred years ago. For instance, the Tata dam in Maval and Mulshi 
talukas were acquired as per the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (LAQ).
“The lands have been seized without any compensation or rehabilitation,” 
says a statement of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) 
led by Ms. Patkar.
The statement has been forwarded to State Rehabilitation Relief 
Minister, Patangrao Kadam. It also demands water to be provided for 
farming and household use.
Rehabilitation not yet
“In the last manifesto, the government promised to rehabilitate and 
compensate. However, nothing has been done. Thousands of acres have been 
acquired at a pittance. With the loss of land and homes, these people 
then become labourers,” said Ms. Patkar.
The gathering included people who have not received compensation for 
acquired land, those who have not been rehabilitated and those displaced 
due to slum demolition in the city.
Six dam projects in Pune, Yavatmal and Narmada dams, Lavasa and Sahara 
city projects, Special Economic Zones are among the projects defaulting 
on promises to landowners.
Land acquisition
Sitabai Raghunath Dongre’s 21 acres were acquired for the Pavna dam, 
near the Mumbai Pune highway. The land is in her father’s name, who 
received a paltry Rs. 25, 000 for the 13 acres that was acquired by the 
government.
The remaining eight acres were not acquired. However, they lie submerged 
under water without any document to account for their ownership.
The protests are a combination of various andolans related to the issues 
of land acquisition and displacement due to projects. They began in 
Lonavala in Pune district on October 11.
“They will continue in Mumbai indefinitely,” said Ms. Patkar.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Manikrao Thakare and 
Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R.R. Patil are slated to meet 
Ms. Patkar on Wednesday.





http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/16/stories/2008101658990600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Protest against industrial corridor foiled
Special Correspondent
Acquisition of 28,000 acres of land in two districts opposed
________________________________________
Protesting activists shifted to police stations
‘No clarity in industries proposed in corridor’
________________________________________
CHIRALA: Police foiled the attempts of the CPI, CPI (M), CPI (M-L), RPI 
and TDP on Wednesday to protest against the acquisition of 28,000 acres 
of land for the industrial corridor in Guntur and Prakasam districts, 
depriving lakhs of small and medium farmers of their resource.
The all-party committee gave a call to lay siege to the Vodarevu and 
Nizampatnam port and Industrial Corridor (VANPIC) office here on 
Wednesday to protest against land acquisition on such a large scale by a 
private agency with the help of the government.
But the police virtually laid siege to Chirala town since Tuesday night 
and deployed nearly 1,000 men to enforce prohibitory orders declared 
under Section 144 Cr. PC. They took some leaders into preventive custody 
on Tuesday night and made it clear that they would not allow any 
congregation of crowds.
CPI State secretary K. Narayana was the first to arrive at the VANPIC 
office with a contingent of 20 party workers.
Police overpowered the leaders and shifted them to the Ipurupalem police 
station. CPI (M) activists led by Guntur district party secretary Rama 
Devi arrived, while RPI leader Bojja Tarakam was arrested.
After a tussle and lathicharge, police also removed 50 activists 
belonging to the CPI (ML) and PDSU and shifted them to the police station.
Speaking to reporters at the police station, Mr Narayana said that there 
was no clarity on the industries proposed in the corridor and the extent 
of land they would require. Yet, it was lending all help to a private 
agency to acquire 28,000 acres.
It proposed two ports at Nizampatnam and Vodarevu, one shipyard and two 
thermal power stations.
Real estate venture
He said that it is nothing but a real estate venture in which the 
government is acting as a “broker”.
The private organisation that is buying the land for a song would sell 
the same to industries at a higher price.






http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081013/jsp/calcutta/story_9960910.jsp

Protests stall housing estate makeover
MEGHDEEP BHATTACHARYA

The Bonhooghly tenement scheme. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta; (below) an 
artist’s impression of Eden Lakeside

The brand of disruptive politics that forced the shift of the Nano 
factory from Singur has stalled the re-development of a 17.2-acre plot 
closer home in Bonhooghly.
A high court order in early August has failed to facilitate the 
demolition of the dilapidated buildings in the Bonhooghly tenement 
scheme and construction of new ones in their place. The rest of the plot 
will have 25 buildings, 16 of which will be 16-storey towers.
The project, named Eden Lakeside, is a joint venture of the 
Calcutta-based Eden City group, London-based REIT Asset Management and 
the state government. The re-development was to start last year, when 
the 750 tenants were served notices to vacate their flats.
The delay has come as a blow for the 125 residents who complied. Biplab 
Chakraborty, 39, and his aged mother, for example, had been counting 
days to move into their new 645-sq ft flat with modern amenities ever 
since they shifted from their 248-sq ft flat.
What now stands between them and their dream home is the agitation by 
the Trinamul-led Bonhooghly Tenement Bashosthan Rakkha Committee, which 
is determined to not let the re-development project commence.
“Most of us are willing to grab this wonderful opportunity. But even if 
10 people refuse to vacate their flats, the project cannot start. The 
local Trinamul leadership has been doing everything to not let the 
project happen,” said Chakaborty, who has been living in a rented flat 
in the area with his mother.
“The developers should build the flats where the residents will be 
rehabilitated first and then start work on the rest of the project. That 
way nobody will have to move to an alternative accommodation. The 
government has vested interests and we will not succumb to its 
pressure,” said a local Trinamul leader.
A team of experts conducted a study on behalf of the developers and 
concluded that the project cannot be executed in parts. The dilapidated 
buildings, at the centre of the plot, must be razed for the 
reconstruction to begin.
The high court, too, dismissed a petition by 50 tenants who demanded 
that the state provide them alternative accommodation till the 
re-development work is completed.
The developers will pay each displaced tenant Rs 2,000 per month towards 
rent till their new flats are ready, the tentative time frame for which 
is two years.
“The tenants will get well-appointed flats that are twice the size of 
their current ones free. Plus the developers will pay their rent while 
the construction is in progress. What more can anybody ask for?” said 
Binay Krishna Biswas, the minister of state for refugee relief and 
rehabilitation.
“We do not trust the government or the private developers. It is 
difficult to find accommodation nearby and I can’t move from 
Bonhooghly,” said Rabi Roy, a petitioner.
Amitava Nandy, the Lok Sabha MP from the area, said the matter could not 
resolved at three all-party meetings, attended by Bengal’s leader of the 
Opposition, Partha Chatterjee.
The Bonhooghly flats, built in the 1960s for refugees, were tagged 
“unsafe” by the civic body in the late-1980s.
“The Rs 400-crore project is being held to ransom for political gain. 
The costs are increasing rapidly,” Sachchidananda Rai, the managing 
director of the Eden City Group, told Metro.





http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=NLetter&id=d3158745-9d26-4888-b3af-8712ae18d9ea&&Headline=Gurgaon+villagers+protest+garbage+treatment+plant+site

Gurgaon villagers protest garbage treatment plant site
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Sanjeev K. Ahuja, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Gurgaon, October 09, 2008
First Published: 01:26 IST(9/10/2008)
Last Updated: 01:26 IST(9/10/2008)

The issue of setting up of a garbage treatment plant in Gurgaon has 
taken an ugly turn as the mahapanchayat of about 50 villages Wednesday 
passed a resolution of guarding the proposed site in Bandwari village 
and not to let the government take possession of it.

On the other hand, residents of DLF City have been agitating for long, 
demanding that the waste management facility be set up at the earmarked 
site in Bandwari, and not at a site near their locality.

The Haryana government has acquired 30.5 acres of panchayat land in 
Bandwari on the Faridabad-Gurgaon Road for setting up of garbage 
treatment plant. The panchayat has, however, refused to accept the 
compensation of Rs 7 crore announced by the state government in February 
this year.

If DLF residents –– who have staged demonstrations opposing dumping of 
garbage near their locality ––have moved the court to press the 
government to set up the plant in Bandwari, villagers living around the 
proposed site have decided to move court against it. They also declared 
they would wage a war against the government on this issue.

“From Thursday, 15 men from the affected villages would stand guard 24 
hours at the site and would alert others if attempts are made to dump 
garbage there, or to take possession of the land. We will put up a 
strong opposition even if we have to face stern police action,” said 
Anant Ram Tanwar of Tigra village.

A committee of 31 members, under the chairmanship of Col (retd) Rattan 
Singh was formed at the mahapanchayat.

“These resolutions would be enclosed with the memorandum we would be 
giving to Gurgaon DM Deepti Umashankar on October 13. The government did 
not take into confidence the panchayat of Bandwari before deciding on 
the dumping site in their land. We fear the proposed garbage treatment 
plant would not only contaminate the groundwater, it would also pollute 
the atmosphere. Thousands of people living in the radius of 15 km would 
get exposed to the foul smell and other possible ailments because of 
this plant,” Singh said.

Mahesh Daima, district councillor of the area, said the state government 
did not inform even the district council before deciding on the site.

Rajeev Sharma, commissioner Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) 
claimed the proposed plant would not affect the routine lives of the 
villagers in the area. “The plant would leave just 20 per cent residues 
of the garbage that would be treated here. The residue would be 
converted into manure or fuel cakes leaving almost no remnants. The 
technology used in the plant would not affected the ground water at all 
nor will it pollute the air,” Sharma clarified.







http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Protesters-against-Una-SEZ-storm-meet-in-Shimla/363743

Protesters against Una SEZ storm meet in Shimla
Font Size
Hemlata Verma Posted: Sep 20, 2008 at 0336 hrs IST

Shimla, September 19: "The Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the present 
scenario would reverse what was achieved over decades through 
implementation of land reforms to re-distribute over two million hectare 
of land to the landless." A national conference on economic and social 
perspectives of SEZs at Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), 
Shimla, opened on Thursday morning with this statement made by president 
of Indian Academy of Social Sciences, Allahabad, S.P. Shukla.
By evening, the academicians got an opportunity to get a first-hand 
account of threats to people facing displacement through SEZs when a 
group of people who are agitating against the proposed SEZ at Gagret in 
Una talked to them through the same platform.
Narender Parmar, legal advisor of Matribhumi Sangharsh Samiti of Una, 
said the Government was not presenting a true picture about the number 
of farmers who would be displaced by the proposed SEZ of SKIL 
Infrastructure Limited.
"We have sought information under the Right to Information in which it 
is clearly mentioned that the SEZ and airport proposed in Una would 
require 11.5 thousand acres of land, whereas the survey has only been 
done of 4,000 acres," said Parmar.






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100755090500.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Guntur

Public hearing marred by protest
Staff Reporter
GUNTUR: District Collector B. Venkatesham faced the ire of people living 
in coastal village of Dindi in Guntur district during the public hearing 
held on Monday.
People had gathered in large numbers to attend the public hearing and as 
soon as the hearing began they started protesting against the proposed 
land acquisition for the coastal corridor. This is the third public 
hearing to be held at Dindi and all the three hearings were marred by 
protests.
Heeding to some of the residents’ pleas, the Collector, accompanied by 
Tenali RDO I. Venkateswara Reddy and Repalle MRO Seshi Reddy visited 
some of the houses and assured the residents of protection of their 
interests.
Some of them had asked for pattas of un-surveyed lands, which the 
farmers had been cultivating for many years. The Collector assured them 
that he would personally look into the matter.
Later, the Collector visited Bolla Revu, Kotha Palem villages and took 
part in the inauguration of a mini harbour at Nakshtra Nagar built at a 
cost of Rs.90 lakh.
Animal Husbandry Minister Mandali Buddha Prasad, Minister for Ports 
Mopidevi Venkata Ramana Rao and Member of Parliament J.D. Seelam were 
present.





http://www.khon2.com/news/local/33318579.html

Swap Meet Vendors Protest
By Brianne Randle
Story Updated: Oct 26, 2008 at 12:11 PM HST

They came waving signs and calling for the publics attention. Dozens of 
swap meet vendors fearful of the future.
"The Swap Meet has been declining vendors have been forced to leave, 
we've had three to four rent increases in the last four years," says 
Neumann Shim, Aloha Swap Meet Vendors Association.
The Swap meet brings in sixty-percent of Aloha Stadium's annual revenue. 
But a loss in vendors has prompted Stadium Management to re-evaluate the 
way they do business. Including changes to vendor pricing and booth set-up.
Vendors say the new rules and regulations will only make things worse 
and force more vendors to leave.
"You're raising the rent, but loosing the revenue, doesn't make sense," 
says Shim.
In tough economic times - many vendors have already given up.
"A good thirty-percent is gone already."
"Everyday you see there's less and less vendors coming and every month 
you see less and less vendors so from a year ago to now there's a big 
difference ," says Swap Meet vendor Kim Rom.
Some fear they could be next.
"Business has slowed and we're concerned of the future of the Swap 
Meet," says Ashley Harding, Swap Meet vendor.
Those who have stuck around are putting up a fight. Vendors are calling 
out the state-contracted Swap Meet manager "Centerplate" and the Stadium 
Authority for letting the situation get this far.
Aloha Stadium Management responded today in a statement: "We realize 
these decisions will impact vendors and the way business is conducted at 
the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet. However, we feel these decisions are in the 
best interest of the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet as a whole and must be made 
in order to move forward."
Still vendor's say their concerns about new changes have been ignored. 
And they plan for more demonstrations.
"Well we hope this is the only one that's necessary," says Harding.
Centerplate took over management of the Swap Meet in 2004. They had no 
comment about today's demonstration.






http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7691036.stm

Saturday, 25 October 2008 17:24 UK
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Protest over cemetery boundary

The protesters believe some graves lie beyond the boundary of the cemetery
Relatives of babies that died more than 30 years ago have been 
protesting in west Belfast.
They say thousands of unmarked graves lie outside the boundary of 
Milltown Cemetery and on the site of the Bog Meadows wildlife park.
Colette Clugston's son William died shortly after childbirth and she 
believes that he is buried in the area.
"It's terrible, I'm very angry with the Catholic church for doing what 
they done with Milltown Cemetery," she said.
"Those babies and adults should never have been in the Bog Meadows. 
Consecrated ground should never be sold over."
The Ulster Wildlife Trust owns the land and says it has spoken to the 
relatives and is awaiting maps which are currently being looked for by 
Milltown Cemetery.