P. Sainath, the Magsaysay Award winning journalist, made the very obvious point recently in an interview on wisdom as it is perceived by the Indian media—how journalists, who are supposed to ask the tough questions, tended to bow before people in positions of power for whatever reason in a pavlovian way.
The media writes “the collector said”, “the prime minister said”, although the collector may be a bloke who came there just 15 days ago. We privilege that collector’s statement over that of a farmer who has tilled the land there for 45 years.
Be it Nandigram, Narmada, or the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise, IT or BT, that is the common refrain, where the “collected wisdom” of politicians, bureaucrats, police officers, corporate heads, and assorted authority figures, real and imagined, are vested with greater gravitas than the “collective wisdom”.
Is Chamalapura in Mysore district, where the H.D. Kumaraswamy government wants to set up a coal power project, also going that way?
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GOVINDA K. writes: After finding that we did not have even one good photograph to show how Chamalapura looked like, a friend and I decided to go to Chamalapura and get some photos. We thought of putting up these pictures on wikipedia and also releasing it into the public domain, so that all bloggers could use it.
Last Tuesday, September 18, we asked some of our friends on how we could get to Chamalapura. We reached Gaddige road near SJCE and proceeded on it. About 20 km from Bogadi, we came upon a place called Halanahalli. We took a left deviation and travelled 5 more kilometres and reached the “border” of Chamalapura.
The place was so green and cool, we wondered how the government had termed the land as barren.
We were confused which way to reach Chamalapura. So we asked a person walking on the road “Chamalapurakke yaava kaDe hOGabEku?”
That person saw us with suspicion and asked: “Neevu yaar swaamy? Nimge En aagbEku? Yaarannu oor oLikke biDakilla. Sumne galaate maaD-de vaapaas hOgi.”
We were shocked to hear these words from that villager, as usually our villagers are generally very courteous. But, as we continued to talk with that man, he told us that the people of the surrounding villages had decided not to allow any “outsiders” into the village. He also said that they would install some danger boards outside their village entrance.
As we were talking with this villager, there came two more people on a two-wheeler who looked a bit “educated”. (The first villager seemed like an illiterate, but he knew a lot about the project.)
The people on the two-wheeler asked who we were. Then he asked for our identity cards. Luckily I had carried my ID card. Then he talked with us for a while in suspicion. After some time, we convinced him that we were no way related to the government and that we too were opposed the project. Then they all became friendly and talked with us well.
We explained to him that we wanted some photographs so that we could put them on the internet. Both of them had little idea about what we were talking. We told them that putting the photos on the internet would enable people all over the globe to see it. Finally, they were convinced by us and one person gave his mobile number and told us that he would talk with other members of his village and then decide whether he can allow us. He told us to come another day.
They also told us that some English newspaper reporters had come in the morning and they too were not allowed into their village. The situation here is almost same as in the film Mathad Mathadu Mallige. In the film too, the villagers decide not to allow government officials and strangers into the village.
We returned to Mysore without the photographs but with an insight of how the rural mind is ticking, and how the “Citizens of Chamalapura” are mobilising.
Also read: SAVE MYSORE FROM CHAMALAPURA PROJECT
Buddi
Nagarjuna Beda, Chamalapura Beda and at last Currente Beda…people will never improve in India . Government must stop supplying electricity to these villages and distribute candles instead. So called “Parisaravadis”(Anti-development morons) are opposing all the development projects in the state.
Without industries and power how a country can develop ???????? Those who oppose these projects should be severely punished for opposing the government backed development activities.
The day will come when candles will be distributed free everywhere if people continue to oppose all the power projects in the state.
People ..Please grow up and welcome power projects.
Same fumble harmers ask for “free” electricity- thanks to poor taxpayers money…
Journalists as usual, have tasted the money from contractor lobbies
Environmentalists are waiting to make money too!
WHERE THE HELL ARE THE ANTI NAGARJUNA GUYS IN PADUBIDRI?
(after getting their share, they disappear!- poor villagers have to run from this court to that court, fighting cases against them)
NRI shetre!
candles also can not be distributed, as it requires petroleum…even petro projects are not welcome by these parisaravyadhis!
Hello NRI shetre,
Please be careful before putting your words… dont ever talk about development of India… that too if you are NRI (as your name suggest), dont even turn towards India to make such comments… if you can please put your foot in India & work towards inproving India. Sitting in other side of the globe & giving free advice is very eazy. Just imaging the life of 20000 people living there. Development should happen in all dimensions… You dont have any right to ask anything from person of some village.. have you visited that place? Go live there for a day & understand what is actually needed to make India developed.
If you are living in some country better be in that ‘developed’ country & dont even turn towards India… when that country kicks you out then we will welcome you with open heart…
Again dont talk about developemt of India in negetive way… better you develop your mind & be happy whereevr you are.
Ravi kumar,
it would have not been possible for you to even write this post, if Sharavathi people had not generously moved out of their ancestral homes for the sake of gerasoppa project…which gave us the power to prosper…
a small number of people will have to sacrifice, for the sake of majority…
luckily Vishweshwaraya did not have any of these environmentalists crying hoarse, when he built kannambaadi!
shettre it is not just about moving people, please appraise yourself with the facts around the project. The center had already once asked the state to move the project from chamalapura, because that would destroy everything that describes what is known as gandhada guDi.
subbraayabhatta aka TS.
Why misuse children for protests?
just goes to show, that even for protests, people can be mobilized?
Mr. E Raviraja Gowda,
Last week in TV9 they showed the problems of people who sacrificed home for Sharavathi project. Still they did not get sheltor, land etc. We cant ask others to sacrifice. There should not be any sacrifice as each life is important for themself. We should look into development without causing harm to others & environment. All these big companies are only worried about numbers not lives.
If your house is aquired for widening of road, metro etc then you will talk about ‘hard earned’ money, human rights, democracy etc…
I do agree we need development but not at the cost of others’ life. Let them have project away from forests, let them relocate people after paying proper compensation… I am sure you wont sacrifice your property/life/family even if one comes & says it will make india #1 in the world.
TV9 is owned by an Capitalistic investors, who want only revenue from ads…so they will sensationalize anything…
check
http://www.peepulcapital.com/Investment.html
it is here to cause problems amongst our society…proof is in the number of attacks on its reporters and cameramen…
(all SSLC failed field staff on its roll…when a mini plane (owned by Jose Alukka jewellers)crashed in Bangalore, their bangalore beaureau chief from the site reported the news as Helicopter pathana…deccan airwaysge seriddu bla bla- see their reliability index?)
so, do not quote TV9 report as a proof!
Hello RaviKumar…How can I think of coming back to India and investing in projects , when people like you still have “stone age mindset”?
Power is the backbone of any industry and I don’t have confidence of investing in Karnataka with current electricity crisis. Who is backing financially all you folks who are opposing all the development projects happening in the state?
Shetre…
all these “stone age mindset” guys are sponsored by
CHINA!
The debate is missing the point here.
This is not a pre-development/anti-development fight going on. It is one where the affected persons do not believe that the Government has taken into account all the relevant surrounding circumstances before undertaking this project. It is just that this has been hijacked by self-appointed “experts” of various fields to turn it into a pro-development/anti-development fight.
The project will benefit Bangalore, obviously, and the affected parties will probably be the residents of Chamalapura. How they will be affected, what can be done to mitigate it, and whether the benefit will be worth the cost has completely slipped out of the debate which has degenerated into a mudslinging match.
Please ppl grow up.
Yes, we are mudslinging on the anti development mafia…
why should govt go for peoples mandate for everything, when they are already elected?
anti development mafia is using the media, corrupt opposition, self proclaimed environmentalists for thier gain!
alok,
cost & benefit analysis.
where is the state’s cost & benefit analysis? is it public domain? has the CM or his brother ever articulated it in public?
all that is known in public about the CM thinks of the project is some random rambles about candles. please read this – the CM’s last public interaction with the farmers.
the CM set the trend, when the villagers came asking for answers all he did was to scold them. the villagers were talking flyash etc, and the CM was talking candles. no technical detail. no analysis. no assurances. not even political double speak. only scolding. so how else will people react if the the last heard word from the CM about the project is some crappy candle prophecy? is this the way to lead?
so the question now is why the state is keen on locating the power plant there, despite public protest in the district and going to the length of falsely claiming Chamalapura to be a barren land?
because, it had tried prevously and failed. the GoI itself considers the costs too high. The truth is Chamalapura is no barren land. please take a look at this image.
the govt of India had previously asked the state govt to move the project from chamalapura,
The Hindu
#1. Government of India had sent a note to the State suggesting that it look for an alternative place to Chamalapura. The wildlife wing in the MOEF was apparently STUNNED by the choice of the site for the coal powered thermal power plant and the impact on the wildlife of Bandipur and Nagarahole.
#2. GVK, quoting his friend, “How a project that was declared technically not feasible a decade ago, could suddenly become possible?”
#3. Shankar Sharma:
“As a progressive society we have not mustered enough courage even to ask for the “Costs V/S Benefits Analysis” of such high impact options, OR to seek viable alternatives, OR to contemplate the decommissioning of such polluting plants, especially the old and highly inefficient ones, even though we know that many parts of the world are doing so. It is worthy to note here that the central govt. has been forced to drop the proposal to set up two Ultra Mega Power Projects(UMPP) based on imported coal (which is said to be of much better quality) at Tadadi in Uttara Kannada district and Girye in Maharastra largely due to socio-environmental reasons.
It is also to be noted that the state govt. has not released any of the major details of the proposed project such as: amount of coal required & source for the same, fresh water quantity required & source, rehabilitation proposal for the displaced, coal linkage, railway siding for this, power evacuation plan etc. Without these details one cannot have any meaningful debate on the impact of the project.” Shankar Sharma’s full article…
Hi tarlesubba,
great way to put the facts. thanks…
can anyone tell the ariel distance between Mysore & Chamalapura. as per the this http://www.bsstrategist.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=10&autono=299003 it is 30 miles. also find here that gove not asked for permission from pollution board.
-Ravi
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Annaneedra,
from what i can ascertain from the maps, chanmalapura is probably nearer to the pristine forests of kakanakote, nagarahole (and therefore even wayanad). Would they also not be exposed to the same ‘hazard’? Can someone tell me if the mallus have raised any objections?
It is 30km by road, as far as I knew… air doesn’t like travelling by road.
I am surprised this has not resulted in a PIL… or have been I bit behind on the legal front of this campaign?
@TS
Thanks for providing actual facts. It is hard to get that in blogosphere. I hope people respond to that with facts, and not with “candle-loving-commie” tripe…
actually, please follow ERR’s efforts.