THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, August 14: Around 50 people, mostly of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of Hisra, have given a joint petition for leasing of land for stone mining to the District Mining Officer, said the lady Panchayat Samiti member who is also of the PVTG, Pinki Kumari of Nawadih.
This correspondent spoke to this lady Panchayat Samiti member, who said in no unequivocal tone on Thursday, “I have confirmed information about PVTG people, around 50 of Hisra have in a signed petition to the District Mining Officer made a demand for the lease of land for stone mining.”
Allegations of Improper Procedure
This lady Panchayat Samiti member further said the drive to obtain their signature for the lease of land for mining was from door to door, and the signatories did put in their signatures. She said she believed there was no Gram Sabha held in accordance with the provisions laid down by the government for it.
She has raised a serious objection to the conduct of the Gram Sabha, saying, “It was not properly held. There was no prior intimation about the Gram Sabha, like its date and venue and big of all, the agenda of the Gram Sabha.”
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“The Gram Sabha was held most improperly and surreptitiously. I was not informed about it at all. I had asked the Panchayat Sewak and Mukhiya even as to how they kept me uninformed about the Gram Sabha raising questions about the motive behind it by way of overlooking and bypassing the panchayat samiti member,” she said.
This Panchayat Samiti member is far more angry and peeved with the Panchayat Sewak for keeping her in the dark about the Gram Sabha, so clandestinely claimed to have been held.
Concerns Over Nearby Stone Crushing Plant
She then told this correspondent, “During the visit of the DC Sameera S and her team here she did speak about this petition for land lease of around 50 people, mostly PVTG, for the lease of land for mining.”
She also said, “She, in the same vein, spoke about how a stone crushing plant near a mission school there is being opposed to by the Sisters of the said school, terming the stone crushing plant as a major nuisance to the environment of the school there.”
This member was critical and vocal about the surreptitious petition for the lease of land by around 50 people, mostly of PVTG, on the ground that the Panchayat Sewak didn’t bother to inform her about the Gram Sabha at all.
She also said she raised the concern of the Sisters of the school in regard to the nearby stone crushing plant in the UDAY programme.
She played safe when asked about the petition for leasing of the land for stone mining by the PVTG, saying “The very Gram Sabha claimed to have been held is fake. It was not held.”
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DC Clarifies Stance on Lease and UDAY Programme
DC Sameera S, speaking to this correspondent, said very emphatically and firmly, “This lady member didn’t bat for the lease of land for stone mining, rather, she raised the concern for the school where this lady referred to some plant.”
DC further said, “There is this misinformation of yours that this lady member batted for the lease etc. This member didn’t ask for any lease of land. She had opposed it in fact.”
“Our UDAY (Unnat Doorasth Adivasi Yojna) has nothing to do with this kind of matter. It’s for all-round development and benefit of the PVTG by providing them with essential documents, certificates and papers to enable them to rise to their occasion/ situation,” the DC asserted.
This member too told this correspondent that she raised the point of view of the Sisters of the school, and she had her own question about the Gram Sabha over the lease of land for stone mining, which was most covert and secret.
UDAY aims at the betterment of the PVTG socially, economically and educationally as their children now have with them their birth certificates, said sources.
It’s too rare a scene to find any PVTG man or woman walking down the branch of the bank, but under UDAY, there is an all-out effort to link them to the bank, a drive not thought of earlier.
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Mining Lease Applicant Identified
But when told by this correspondent that PVTG people around 50, as per the version of this PVTG lady Panchayat Samiti member have sent their demand to the District Mining Officer for the lease of land for mining to which the DC said, “The name of the person in respect of lease of land so demanded is not of the PVTG.”
A proprietor of Raja Stone Works Chandan of Balra village under Harihurganj block in Palamu district had applied for sanctioning of the stone mining in 5.89 acres of land having khata numbers 20, 36, 63 and 4 of plot number 198, 200, 238, 243(P), 240, way back in 2024 where for a Gram Sabha was held wherein around 50 PVTG people signed as per the version of the lady panchayat samiti member who has challenged the validity of the said Gram Sabha.
