The struggle of the Maoists in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district is slowing down. But in the meantime, new conflicts have arisen over forests, land and mineral resources. This month, thousands of indigenous farmers protested in the Chamorshi region to demand that their land not be handed over to the government.
On May 12, the state government approved a proposal to acquire 311 hectares of land in four villages to build a new airport. In contrast, Rs 77 crore has been announced as compensation to the villagers. At the same time, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is planning to acquire about 3,000 hectares of land in 14 villages of Chamorshi for JSW Group’s Rs 1 lakh crore steel project. The government has temporarily suspended the process due to strong protests from locals, but the protesters are well aware that the moratorium cannot be permanent.
Although it may seem like a small land acquisition, there is a huge industrial plan behind it. The government wants to use thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land in Gadchiroli for mining, steel industry and other industrial projects. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has already announced that Gadchiroli will become a major steel manufacturing hub and create employment opportunities for around 70,000 people. But locals and environmentalists have expressed deep concern that the ambitious plan will endanger vast forests, rivers and livelihoods of tribal communities.
The government plans to link ports on the east and west coasts by developing roads, communications and industrial infrastructure. Official statements explain all this as a path to development. However, local residents and environmentalists fear that the price of such development will be destruction of nature and loss of tribal culture. Not only Gadchiroli, but also in areas like Bastar in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand, the process of clearing land for mining and large-scale industries has accelerated as Maoist influence has waned.
About 76 percent of the area of Gadchiroli is covered by forest. There are huge reserves of iron ore in the foothills of Surjagar hills in the district. In the past, mining in the area could not go ahead due to Maoist presence and local protests. But now the situation has changed. The quiet area, known for its tribal life and culture, now has an increased presence of big trucks, security forces and outsiders. The government plans to extract iron from forests and set up steel mills outside the forests.
According to government officials, the projects will provide jobs to local people and boost the region’s economy. However, the question of what will happen to farmers and tribal families if they lose their land remains unclear. Environmentalists have warned that expansion of mining and industrial projects could destroy important natural tiger routes between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has also raised questions on the matter, though it is alleged that those concerns have not been given due attention.
Gadchiroli has witnessed decades of violence, insecurity and conflict. After forty years of unrest, the people of the region need peace, security and a chance for a dignified life. Tribal communities have been maintaining these forests as part of their lives for generations. But now forests and land are seen only as fields of mineral resources.
The proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway from Gadchiroli to Goa is also seen by many as part of this grand mineral transport plan. Although the government calls it a path of development, in the eyes of the locals, it is the beginning of new pressure on their land, forest and culture. The Maoists’ guns may have stopped today, but the real struggle to save Gadchiroli’s forests, land and tribal lives seems to have just begun.