Friday, November 23, 2018

Agrarian crisis is a crisis of the society, humanity and civilization: P Sainath



Resolution of crisis cannot be separated from general crisis of
capitalism: Prof. Navin Chandra
Demand for 21 day special session of Parliament gains overwhelming support in Patna    
Patna: Delivering his talk on “Why farmers and farm workers are demanding a 21 day special session of Parliament, P Sainath, former rural affairs editor of The Hindu, agrarian crisis is no more about food security, farmers and farm labourers alone, it has now become a crisis of the society, humanity and civilization in a situation where over three lakh farmers have committed suicide in our country in the last 20 years. Now that it has officially been admitted that between 1991 and 2011, the number of farmers/cultivators declined by 1.5 crore as per census, it is quite clear that the wages and salary of all including legislators have increased but income of farming communities remains frozen. Some 94 per cent of the farmers’ have been kept out of the purview of income security. Sainath is also the founder editor of Peoples Archive of Rural India (PARI). The meeting on agrarian crisis was organized at Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna ahead of the upcoming Kisan Mukti March of farmers to Parliament on 29-30 November, 2018.
The meeting was chaired by Prof. Navin Chandra, General Secretary, Kedar Das Institute for Labour and Social Studies (KDILSS). In his remarks, Prof. Chandra said that resolution of the crisis cannot be separated from the general crisis of capitalism and the total crisis. The different people affected by the crisis have to show solidarity with each other to resolve the crisis.
Over 210 farmer and agricultural worker organisations of the country have given a call for this march to Parliament inspired by the example of farmers' march from Nashik to Mumbai during March 2018.
Speaking in the meeting, Satyanarayan Singh, national secretary, All India Kisan Sabha expressed his support for the Kisan Mukti March and their demand for 21 day special session of parliament. He said that we need co-operative farming not corporate farming. We need radical land reform without which current agrarian situation cannot change.
The meeting was addressed by Dr Satyajit Singh, Prof. D M Diwakar, Ravindranath Roy, Ujjawal, Raja Ram, Manoj Srivastva, , Mona Jha, Pranav Prakash, Sanjeev Kumar, Sumant, Arun and Gopal Krishna. The welcome address was given by Anamika Priyadashini. Vote of Thanks was given by Tanweer Akhtar. 
Expressing their solidarity with the Nation for Farmers and 210 farmer and agricultural worker organizations, various groups of Patna have decided to organize a signature campaign on 29 November at Dak Bungla Chowk from 11 AM to 1 PM. It has also been decided that a Jan Samwaad, Sangeet, poetry recitation and theatre performance will be organized on 30 November from 2 PM to 5 PM in Buddha Smriti Park.               
The meeting was organized by Nation for Farmers is organizing this meeting in collaboration with its friends in Bihar’s non-farmer organizations like Tatpar Foundation, Sanmat, Indian Society for Cultural Co-operation & Friendship (ISCUF), National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM), Samagra Shikshan Evam Vikas Sansthan (SSEVS), Kedar Das Institute for Labour and Social Studies (KDILSS), Chinaharan Social Development Trust, Bihar Mahila Samaj, Kisan Zindabad  & Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA). These orgainisations and participants in the meeting endorsed the demand for 21 day special session of Parliament.
For further Details: Gopal Krishna, Nation for Farmers  (9818089660), Ravindra Nath Roy, ISCUF (7633861757), Amit Kumar, Tatpar Foundation (09835893121), Ujjawal NAPM  (9532326737)

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Why are farmers & farm workers demanding 21-day special session of Parliament


देश के 210 किसान और खेतिहर मजदूर संगठनों ने 29-30 नवंबर 2018 को संसद
के समक्ष व्यापक जुटान की अपील की है। इस बार का जुटान कोई मामूली जुटान नहीं
है इस बार देश भर से लाखों किसान और खेतिहर मजदूर खेती- किसानी पर गहराते संकट
के सवाल पर संसद के 21 दिन के विशेष सत्र की माँग को ले कर इकट्ठा हो रहे हैं।
इस घटना पर पूर्वी भारत के लोगों को विशेष ध्यान देने की जरूरत है।

जैसा कि पिछले कुछ सालों में हमने देखा है कि पश्चिम, उत्तर और दक्षिण भारत के किसानों तथा खेतिहर मजदूरों की समस्या का ज़िक्र, मीडिया तथा केंद्र सरकार गाहे-ब-गाहे करती रहती हैं। मगर पूर्वी भारत के राज्य मसलन बिहार,झारखंड, पश्चिम बंगाल, छत्तीसगढ़, ओडिशा, और पूर्वी उत्तरप्रदेश के किसानों की समस्या को पुछने वाला कोई नहीं दिखता। गौरतलब है कि 1950  के दशक तक पूर्वी भारत,देश के सबसे समृद्ध क्षेत्रों मे सुमार था। यहाँ की मिट्टी की उर्वरा-शक्ति को समझने के लिये इतना ही काफी है कि यहाँ 644 किलो अनाज प्रति हेक्टेयर तक उपजता था। मगर हरित क्रांति के आगमन के साथ ही यह अग्रणी स्थिति खोती चली गयी। हरित क्रांति के कारण पूर्वी भारत में कृषि, किसान और खेतिहर मजदूरों की स्थिति मे गहरा धक्का पहुँचा।

यह ध्यान देने योग्य बात है कि समूचा देश साथ साथ पूर्वी भारत के किसान और खेतिहर मजदूर भी खेती किसानी के अभूतपूर्व संकट के दौर से गुजर रहे हैं। सामान्य किसानो की असामान्य पैदल यात्रा ने मुंबई के आम लोगों के दिल पर ऐसा असर डाला कि वे स्वत: ही इस आंदोलन मे शामिल हो गए।

यह हमारे लिए विमर्श का विषय है कि हम किसानों के इन संघर्षों से प्रेरणा लेते हुए कैसे किसानों के साथ एक व्यापक लोकतांत्रिक मंच का निर्माण कर सकते हैं। किसानी की समस्या के ऊपर संभावित निदान हेतू नेशन फॉर फार्मर तथा बिहार के सामाजिक संगठन आपको 23 नवंबर को आयोजित सभा मे सादर आमंत्रित करते हैं। हम इस सभा मे किसानों और खेतिहर मजदूरों के 21 दिनों के संसद के विशेष सत्र की मांग पर विस्तृत चर्चा करेंगे।

इस बैठक का मूल उद्देश्य पूर्वी भारत मे किसानों तथा खेतिहर मजदूरों की आवाज को बुलंद करना है। इस सभा को नेशन फॉर फार्मर (किसानों के साथ देश समूह) अपने बिहार के किसान संगठनों तथा गैर किसान संगठनों जैसे तत्पर फाउंडेशन, सनमत, इंडियन सोसाईटी फॉर कल्चरल कॉपरेशन, जन आंदोलनों का राष्ट्रीय समन्वय, समग्र शिक्षण एवं विकास संस्थान, केदार दास इंस्टीट्यूट फॉर लेबर एंड सोशल स्टडी, बिहार महिला समाज और भारतीय जन नाट्य संघ द्वारा आयोजित किया गया है।

स्थान: गांधी संग्रहालय, गांधी मैदान, पटना
समय : 10:00 am to 1.00 pm
प्रमुख वक्ता: पी साई नाथ, संस्थापक संपादक पीपुल्स अरकाईव ऑफ रूरल
इंडिया (PARI) एवं ग्रामीण मामलों के पूर्व संपादक, द हिन्दू

यह एक जरूरी मौका है कि हम सब विविध क्षेत्र के कर्मचारियों, डॉक्टरों, वकीलों, पत्रकारों, कलाकारों, वैज्ञानिकों, इंजीनियरों, शिक्षकों, छात्रों, महिलाओं, युवाओं और कई लोगों का प्रतिनिधित्व करने वाले संगठनों के सहयोग और भागीदारी के समन्वय को स्थापित कर सकें।

अगर आप आमंत्रण स्वीकार कर आने की पुष्टि करेंगे तो हम आपके आभारी रहेंगे

सादर
गोपाल कृष्ण
किसानों के साथ देश समूह (Nation for Farmers)
और
गैर किसान संगठन व सामाजिक संगठन

For further Details:
Gopal Krishna, Nation for Farmers  (9818089660), Ravindra Nath Roy,
ISCUF (7633861757), Amit Kumar, Tatpar Foundation (09835893121)
Ujjawal NAPM  (9532326737)


†***************************************

Note: Why farmers and farm workers are demanding a 21 day soecial session of Parlianent. P Sainath will also speak in the meeting. Concept Note regarding the meeting is attached.

Dear friends & comrades,

Over 210 farmer and agricultural worker organisations of the country have given a call for a march to Parliament on 29-30 November 2018. They are demanding a 21- day special session of Parliament to deliberate on remedial measures for safeguarding the interest of farm, farmers and agricultural workers. The Eastern region merits special attention during the special session of the Parliament.

While crisis of farmers and agricultural workers in Western, Southern and Northern India has received some attention in the media and central legislature, the plight of those in the Eastern region of the country
(Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Eastern UP) has remained on the margins. Eastern India was the most prosperous region in the country till the 1950s, maintaining a lead over the other regions with highest food grain yield of 644 kg/ha. It lost its leading position with the advent of the Green Revolution. This revolution seems to have structurally undermined farming, farmers and farm workers in this region.
The fact remains that the farmers and farm workers of this region and rest of India constitute a community of fate.

What are the concrete ways in which we can extend our support and solidarity to the lakhs who will march into Delhi during Nov. 29-30? 
How do we best meet this upcoming historic moment? We have before us the example of farmers' march from Nashik to Mumbai during March 2018. 
Can we learn from and build on this for the much larger democratic protest the farmer organisations have called for? And how? 

In order to dwell on possible actions to respond to farm issues, you are cordially invited to come to a meeting on “Why are farmers & farm workers demanding 21-day special session of Parliament” co-organised by Nation for Farmers which is a collective formed by non-farmers to support over 210 farmers' organisations, farmers and farm workers. It aims to amplify the voice of farmers and farm workers. Nation for Farmers is organizing this meeting in collaboration with its friends in Bihar’s non-farmer organizations like Tatpar Foundation, Sanmat, Indian Society for Cultural Co-operation & Friendship (ISCUF), National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM), Samagra Shikshan Evam Vikas Sansthan (SSEVS), Kedar Das Institute for Labour and Social Studies (KDILSS), Bihar Mahila Samaj & Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA). Date and venue of the meeting is as under:

Date: November 23, 2018

Venue: Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna

Time: 10:00 am to 1.00 pm

P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) & former rural affairs editor of The Hindu will address the meeting.

Kindly join us to deliberate on how organisations representing workers, public & private sector employees, doctors, lawyers, journalists, artists, scientists, engineers, teachers, students, women, youth, and many, many
others can form an alliance to help build support for the proposed Kisan Mukti March during November 29-30, 2018.

We will highly appreciate a line of confirmation.

Warmly
Gopal Krishna Nation for Farmers
&
Bihar’s Non-farmer groups in solidarity with the Nation for Farmers


For further Details:
Gopal Krishna, Nation for Farmers  (9818089660), Ravindra Nath Roy,
ISCUF (7633861757), Amit Kumar, Tatpar Foundation (09835893121)
Ujjawal NAPM  (9532326737)


Concept Note

Why farmers and agricultural workers are demanding
a 21 day-special session of Parliament

The Eastern region comprising of about 28% of the country's geographical area and is inhabited by about 35% of the country's population. In Bihar, 91 percent of all land holdings fall in the category of marginal holdings with farm size less than 1 hectare. High cost of diesel-based irrigation (70 %) has made agriculture difficult.

The credit availability per hectare in Bihar, water logging and drainage problems remain predominant concerns. Bihar possessed about 3% of the total cultivated area of the country and 8% of the country’s population. The fact remains problems of farmers and agricultural workers of Bihar and eastern India cannot be seen in isolation from the problems of being faced by farmers and agricultural workers all over the country. 


The special session of parliament is required to focus solely on the agrarian crisis & related issues and the honouring of the recommendations made in the Reports of the National Commission for Farmers, which have been lying for over 12 years in Parliament without a day’s serious discussion. It is one of their major demands. Meanwhile, agrarian and rural distress has been deepening daily accompanied by massive loss of livelihoods.  While successive governments have failed and, indeed, consciously undermined the agrarian sector for two decades now, the past few years have taken the damage to unprecedented levels. The devastation of demonetisation and the assault on the cattle economy are just two examples of the new dimensions of distress.
This context creates a logical compulsion on those who belong to the professional and other groups of the middle and lower-middle classes to support call of the farmers and farm labourers readying for their massive protest.
1.      In a situation where over three lakh farmers have committed suicide in our country in the last 20 years, agrarian crisis is no more about food security, farmers and farm labourers alone. It has now become a crisis of the society and civilization. It is these very farmers who saved the country from ship-to-mouth existence to feed Indians without waiting for ships to arrive.     

2.   Now that it has officially been admitted that between 1991 and 2011, the number of farmers/cultivators declined by 1.5 crore as per census, it is quite clear that the wages and salary of all including legislators have increased but freezing of farm incomes has been marginalizing farming communities. Despite this 94 per cent of the farmers’ have been kept out of the purview of income security.                  

3.      As a nation, fellow citizens cannot afford to remain mute spectators to the plight of farming, farmers and farm labourers when indebtedness related consequences compels them to end their life even as indebted commercial czars get bailed out or get protected or run with impunity paving the way for return of the money lenders who create yet another vicious circle of poor being poor because they are poor. Shouldn’t indebted farmers need to be treated in the same way as beneficial owners of indebted companies? Credit policy of the banking system has adopted double standards. It waives off the defaulting amount of credit at the earliest opportunity arguing that it leads to economic growth. It restructures the loans of the beneficial owners of corporate sector but penalizes the farmers. In such a scenario, waiving of farm loan too can lead to such growth. If waiving loans is a moral hazard than it is so for both the corporate and farm sector.   

4.      Land and water co-exist but their commodification, corporatization and acquisition is undermining farming as source of livelihood. The conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural land across the country is happening without cumulative impact assessment in a business as usual scenario. Ongoing corporatization of water and promotion of cash crops have turned rivers and ground water aquifers into monetizing machines. Such an approach has prevented rivers and other water sources to perform their geological and ecological functions. One of the core natural functions of rivers is land building. Amidst shrinking of land under agriculture, anonymous donors of political parties, real estate operators and development fundamentalists have stopped the river from performing their natural work.     

5.      Collapse of agriculture has created problems of unemployment, increased informalisation of workers, indebtedness and devastation of cattle economy has made agricultural mode of livelihood precarious. Amidst indefensible inequality and technological unemployment driven mass poverty, the well being of fellow citizens cannot be divorced from the well being of farmers and farm labourers.
6.      Given the fact that an unjust structural arrangement has ensured that market remains consistently against farmers, it has emerged that fall in the prices in the open market of farm produce despite there being a bountiful harvest is a bigger calamity than continuing drought, heavy rainfall or any other natural disaster. So much so that farming is no more about farming crops but it about cultivating losses. There are situations where milk becomes cheaper than the water.
7.      Rich countries are providing 190 billion dollar product specific subsidy but are coercing India through anonymous donations to ruling political parties to cut the subsidy although investing in agriculture is at least five times more productive than infrastructure. In a demonstration of flawed priorities, previous government built nearly 2.5 lakh panchayat houses unmindful of the compelling need for rural godowns.           
8.      Farmers and farm workers seem to have also been adversely affected by futures contracts unleashed by financial speculators and investors. Such contracts in agricultural commodity market entails formal obligation to sell or buy a given amount of commodity at a specified time and price. Although only a miniscule of such contracts actually result in the delivery of physical commodity as they are traded before their expiration date, it is clear that they are structurally inimical to the interest of farm, farmers and farm workers. In such arrangements neither the primary producer nor the consumers benefit from agricultural commodity future trading.    
9.      One cannot remain callous towards unprecedented suffering of farmers and farm workers due to law and policy driven dispossession, deprivation, misery and distress migration. Although agriculture is the biggest employer in the country and has the potential to rejuvenate country’s economy, existing policies and laws have given it least priority in comparison to corporate sector.    
10.  Taking lessons from the fellow citizens and residents of Mumbai who participated and extended support to the farmers and farm workers during the weeklong Padyatra of 40, 000 farmers and farm workers from Nashik to Mumbai in March 2018, there is a compelling reason for fellow citizens and residents of Bihar to participate in the long march of our farmers from all over the country during 29- 30 November 2018 to Parliament in Delhi demanding 21 day special session of parliament to deliberate and legislate on life threatening concerns of the nation.

In order to dwell on possible actions to respond to these issues, you are cordially invited to come to a meeting on “Why are farmers & farm workers demanding 21-day special session of Parliament” co-organised by Nation for Farmers which is a collective formed by non-farmers to support over 210 farmers' organisations, farmers and farm workers. It aims to amplify the voice of farmers & farm workers. Nation for Farmers is organizing this meeting in collaboration with its friends in Bihar’s non-farmer organizations like Tatpar Foundation, Sanmat, Indian Society for Cultural Co-operation & Friendship (ISCUF), National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM), Kedar Das Institute for Labour and Social Studies (KDILSS), Bihar Mahila Samaj & Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA). The meeting is scheduled from 10 am to 1 pm on November 23, 2018 at Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Patna.
P Sainath, founder of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) & former rural affairs editor of The Hindu will address the meeting. 

Kindly join us to deliberate on how organisations representing workers, public & private sector employees, doctors, lawyers, journalists, artists, scientists, engineers, teachers, students, women, youth, and many, many others can form an alliance to help build support for the proposed Kisan Mukti March during November 29-30, 2018.
Organisers:
Nation for Farmers | Tatpar Foundation | Indian Society for Cultural Co-operation & Friendship (ISCUF) | Sanmat | Chintaharan Social Development Trust (CSDT) | National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM) | Kedar Das Institute for Labour and Social Studies (KDILSS) | Bihar Mahila Samaj | Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA)




Tuesday, November 20, 2018

स्वच्छता अभियान सफाई कर्मियों की समस्याओं का समाधान नहीं है


भारत की आजादी और सफाई मजदूर विषय पर आयोजित संगोष्ठी में स्वतंत्र टिप्पणीकार जे.पी.चौधरी ने कहा कि लोग यह नहीं जानते हैं कि अंतिम पायदान पर खड़े लोग कौन हैं। लोग यह भी नहीं जानते कि आजादी क्या है। सबसे ज्यादा गुलाम व्यक्ति सफाई मजदूर है। हम चांद पर जाने की मशीन बना सकते है तो क्या हम सफाई करने के लिए मशीन नहीं बना सकते, जिससे व्यक्ति की जान बचाई जा सके। किसी सफाई मजदूर का मरना हत्या है। इसी संदर्भ में मैग्सेसे पुरस्कृत बेजवाड़ा विल्सन कहते हैं कि सारी समस्याओं का एक समाधान नहीं होता। कानूनी शब्दावली का इस्तेमाल भी समझना होगा उदाहरण के लिए मैनुअल  स्कैवेंजिंग का हिंदी अनुवाद है हाथ से मैला उठाना। यदि सफाई कर्मचारी झाड़ू से मैला उठाये तो वह कानून के अंदर नहीं आते हैं। इसी शब्दावली के कारण सरकार कहती है कि हाथ से मैला उठाने की प्रथा खत्म हो चुकी है। सफाई मजूदरों के लिए सुप्रीम कोर्ट भी संवेदनशील नहीं है। स्वच्छ भारत अभियान ने सफाई कर्मचारियों की समस्या को और बढ़ाया है।

संजोगवश आज ही विश्व शौचालय दिवस भी है। वरिष्ठ पत्रकार भाषा सिंह ने कहा है कि देश में सबसे पहले जो चीज ठेके पर दी गई वह है सफाई का काम। अंबेडकर का सबसे बड़ा नारा था झाड़ू छोड़ो कलम पकड़ो। जल-थल-मल पुस्तक के लेखक सोपान जोशी अपनी बात रखते हुए कहते हैं कि सफाई कर्मचारियों की मुक्ति का काम उन्हीं पर छोड़ दिया गया है। यह सभ्य समाज की पहचान नहीं हैं समाज में यह संवेदना होनी चाहिए कि जो सफाई हो रही है वो मजबूर लोगों के खून से हो रही है स्वच्छ कार्यक्रम 1986 से चल रहे हैं चाहे वह किसी भी प्रक्रिया में चल रहे हो। साफ रहना और साफ रखना ये दोनों अलग अलग बाते हैं। पहले हमें अपनी भाषा और विचार बदलने चाहिए।

एस.सी मेहरुल कहते हैं कि 71 वर्ष की आजादी में जितनी भी सरकारें बनी वह सफाई कर्मियों के दृष्टि से राष्ट्रविरोधी, संविधान विरोधी बनी है। जब तक सफाई कर्मियों के लिए देश में समानता, एकता, मानवता नहीं है तब तक यह सब झूठ है। मानव में मानवता का व्यवहार बिल्कुल नहीं है तो वह किस बात का मानव है।
संगोष्ठी में छात्र-छात्राओं ने वक्ता से सवाल भी पूछे। इस संगोष्ठी का संचालन वरिष्ठ पत्रकार अनिल चमड़िया ने किया। यह कार्यक्रम मीडिया स्टडीज ग्रुप की ओर से आयोजित किया गया था।

Friday, November 16, 2018

Meeting on “Why are farmers & farm workers demanding 21 day special session of Parliament” in Patna on 23rd November

Nation for Farmers co-organising a meeting on “Why are farmers & farm workers demanding 21 day special session of Parliament”. P Sainath, founder of People's Archive of Rural India will join the meeting.

Date: 23 November,
Venue: Gandhi Sangrahalaya (Gandhi Museum), Gandhi Maidan, Patna,
Time: 10 am

Nation for Farmers which is a collective formed by non-farmers to support over 210 farmers' organisations, farmers and farm workers. It aims to amplify the voice of farmers & farm workers. 

Friday, November 9, 2018

संपतचक अंचल, पटना जिला अन्तर्गत रामचक बैरिया गांव में प्रस्तावित अस्पताल के परिसंकटमय जहरीले कचरे के भस्मीकरण, भंडारण एवं निपटान परियोजना का स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण पर दुष्प्रभाव के सम्बन्ध में

सेवा में

अध्यक्ष
बिहार राज्य प्रदुषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड
बिहार

विषय: संपतचक अंचल, पटना जिला अन्तर्गत रामचक बैरिया गांव में प्रस्तावित अस्पताल के परिसंकटमय जहरीले कचरे के भस्मीकरण, भंडारण एवं निपटान परियोजना का स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण पर दुष्प्रभाव के सम्बन्ध में

महाशय,

उपरोक्त विषय में हम आपके संज्ञान में यह तथ्य लाना चाहते है कि इस परियोजना से उत्पन्न होने वाले परिसंकटमय जहरीले गैस का स्वास्थ्य और पर्यावरण पर दुरगामी दुष्प्रभाव पड़ेगा। इससे गले का कैंसर, फेफड़े का कैंसर, पेट का कैंसर, मलद्वार का कैंसर आदि का खतरा उत्पन्न हो जाएगा।

इसके 254 पृष्ठ के पर्यावरण आकलन रिपोर्ट के अध्ययन से पता चलता है कि यह परियोजना गंगा, पुनपुन और गंडक नदी घाटी क्षेत्र पर नुकसानदेह असर डालेगा। इससे जल प्रदुषण, वायु प्रदुषण और भोजन श्रृंखला प्रदुषण होता है। ऐसे परियोजना को इस क्षेत्र में अनुमति देने का कोई औचित्य नहीं है।

कचरा प्रबन्धन का मूल सिद्धान्त कहता है कि कचरा को उत्त्पादन स्थल पर ही वैज्ञानिक तरीके से निपटाना चाहिए। कंपनी के पर्यावरण सलाहकार ने अपने रिपोर्ट में इस परियोजना से होनेवाले नुकसान को कम करके आँका है। रिपोर्ट में भ्रम फैलाने के इरादे से परियोजना स्थल के पांच किलोमीटर में स्थित संवेदनशील स्थानों का जिक्र नहीं किया गया है। रिपोर्ट में केवल 6 किलोमीटर के बाद के स्थानों का जिक्र है।

सारांश में रिपोर्ट से यह स्पष्ट है कि प्रस्तावित कारखाने से जहरीले गैस का उत्पादन होगा। इससे होनेवाले नुकसान जा ब्यौरा निम्नलिखित है-
1. डायोक्सिन्स और पारा का उत्पादन
2. डायोक्सिन्स का इस्तेमाल रासायनिक हथियार के रूप में हो चुका है। अमेरिका ने इसका प्रयोग वियतनाम के खिलाफ (1959-75) किया था। उसका नुकसान और दुष्परिणाम आज भी जारी है।
3. ऐसे कारखानों से जल प्रदुषण, वायु प्रदुषण और भोजन श्रृंखला का प्रदुषण होता है।
4. इस कारखाने से रिहायसी इलाके पर पड़ने वाले भयावह प्रभाव पर हैरतअंगेज चुप्पी साधी गयी है।
5. दिल्ली हाई कोर्ट ने अपने एक फैसले में ऐसे ही एक कारखाने के सन्दर्भ में लिखा है कि ऐसे कारखानों के 10 किलोमीटर क्षेत्र में लाइलाज़ रोगों की बाढ़ सी आ हाती है। फैसला हाई कोर्ट के वेबसाइट पर उपलब्ध है। (http://www.delhicourts.nic.in/Jan13/P.K.%20Nayyar%20vs.%20UOI.pdf)
6. इस कारखाने के खिलाफ बिहार मानवाधिकार आयोग ने एक आवेदन लंबित है।

इन तथ्यों के आलोक में इस कारखाने का रामचक बैरिया गांव में प्रस्तावित करना गैर जिम्मेदाराना, असंवेदनशील, पर्यावरण विरोधी और स्वास्थ्य विरोधी है। इसलिए इस कारखाने को निर्माण की मंजूरी और पर्यावरण की मंजूरी नहीं मिलनी चाहिए।

सधन्यवाद।

सादर
डॉ गोपाल कृष्ण, LLB, PhD
संपादक,
टॉक्सिक्स वाच
ईमेल: krishnagreen@gmail.com
वेबसाइट: www.toxicswatch.org



Public hearing on proposed biomedical waste incinerator at Ramchak Bairiya, Sampatchak Patna district to dwell on public health concerns

Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) is organizing a public hearing on proposed biomedical waste incinerator on November 10, 2018 at Nitish Laloo Samudayik Bhawan, Ramchak Bairiya, Sampatchak, Patna district. This is a mandatory requirement under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and rules made under it. The proposal entails setting up of a Common Bio Medical Waste Treatment Facility” at Village- Ramchak Bairiya, Tehsil and District –Patna, Bihar by Allahabad based M/s Sangam Mediserve Pvt. Ltd.

This Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) is proposed to be setup by Sangam Mediserve Pvt. Ltd. with Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS)-Raja Bazaar Sekhpura, Patna on Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode where bio-medical waste, treated from healthcare units, from currently approx. 850 Hospital that’s include all Govt. and private health care facilities operational in Patna division i.e. Ara, Buxar, Rohtash, Kaimur, Bihar Sharif and Patna districts of state of Bihar.

The study of the Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report and the Pre-Feasibility report of the proposed project reveals that the project proponents are ignorant about the verdict of Delhi High Court in a case concerning biomedical waste incinerator in Sukhdev Vihar, Okhla, New Delhi. The Court observed that “Residents living within 10 km of an incinerator, refinery, and waste disposal site” showed “Significant increase in laryngeal cancer in men living with closer proximity to the incinerator and other pollution sources”. It observed that the “Residents living around an incinerator and other pollution sources” showed “Significant increase in lung cancer related specifically to the incinerator”. The “People living within 7.5 km of 72 incinerators” displayed “Risks of all cancers and specifically of stomach, colorectal, liver and lung cancer increased with closer proximity to incinerators”. (Source:

The Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report and of the 27 page long Pre-Feasibility report has been prepared by Fulgro Environmental & Engineering Services India Pvt. Ltd, Sangam company’s environmental consultant. The Pre-Feasibility report states that “The proposed facility is located on an area of 1.5 Acre which is allotted by Nagar Nigam, Patna.” Prior to this it states that “Govt. of Bihar allocated land for establishment of Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) to IGIMS- Patna.” It states that as per legal requirement, “No untreated bio-medical waste shall be kept stored beyond a period of 48 hours”. The proposed facility is supposed to treat approx 30000 Beds for the district Ara, Buxar, Rohtash, Kaimur, Bihar Sharif and Patna and other nearby district. The total cost of the project is Rs 4.93 crores.

The Draft EIA report states that Ganga river is 5.7 km in north direction, Barmullah Nala is 6 km in South East direction, Punpun river is 6.2 km in South East direction, Gandak river is 9.7 km in North of North East of the proposed biomedical waste facility. This reveals that aerial distance (as the crow fly distance) will be quite nearer to the facility (if the measurement of distance in a straight line). It is noteworthy that the report does not disclose what is situated in the nearest vicinity of the proposed site. It misleadingly only refers to landmarks situated after 5 km. it does not provide information about the kind of human habitation or ecologically sensitive landscape within the 5 km radius.       

In the 254 page long Draft EIA report, it is admitted that incineration technology will be used to burn the waste to ashes through a combustion process. It claims that “The gases would be completely burnt and safe gases then shall be let out of the incinerator unit” while admitting that persistent organic pollutants like Dioxins will be admitted at page no. 28. It states that its monitoring will be done by a third party but does not disclose the name of the third party. It is significant because Bihar does not have a lab which can test Dioxins. Its pre-feasibility report states that the both the primary and secondary burners proposed are imported Italian burners. It makes a claim that “The system is environmentally safe without any hazard” and “The entire system shall be a zero liquid discharge system in terms of wastewater discharge from the process as the entire wastewater is re-circulated and most of the water used is in terms of make-up water. This water also will meet the wastewater discharge standards for on-land disposal. Domestic wastewater will be disposed through septic tank fallowed by soak pit.” It is estimated that about 5 MT of the waste would be treated per day.

A similar biomedical waste incinerator plant which was proposed in the flood plains of Son river by M/s Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd was successfully opposed in Koilwar, Bhojpur. At the public hearing held on 16 October, 2014 at Ambika Sharan Singh High School, Jamalpur, Post- Naya Mohammadpur, District- Bhojpur, the villagers said that they will pay any price to stop waste from hundreds of factories and thousands of hospitals from coming to Koilwar due to imminent public health crisis the present and future generations of residents of villages on the Babura-Koilwar road in Bhojpur, Bihar.  The public hearing had raised the question of adverse health effect of the proposed plant in the 10 km radius of its location.

The villagers had submitted the judgment of the Delhi High Court to the presiding officer of the public hearing. The judgment refers to ‘The summary of “Epidemiological Studies on Adverse Health Effects Associated with Incineration” would show that medical waste incinerators are a leading source of dioxins and mercury in the environment and there is link between incinerator emissions and adverse health impacts on incinerator workers and residents living around the incinerators.’ (Source:

The Court’s judgment reads: “Both older and more modern incinerators can contribute to the contamination of local soil and vegetation with dioxins and heavy metals. In several European countries, cows’ milk from farms located in the vicinity of incinerators has been found to contain elevated levels of dioxin, in some cases above regulatory limits. Increased levels of dioxins have been found in the tissues of residents near to incinerators in the UK, Spain and Japan. At an incinerator in Finland, mercury was increased in hair of residents living in the vicinity. Children living near a modern incinerator in Spain were found to have elevated levels of urinary thioethers, a biomarker of toxic exposure. “ It notes that “After 2 years of operation of incinerator, dioxins levels were found increased by about 25% in both groups living between 0.5 to 1.5 and 3.5 to 4.0 km away (201 people) of people. In the repeat analysis, the increase was in the range of 10-15%”.

The judgment records that “Mothers living close to incinerators and crematoria from 1956 to 1993” showed “increased risk of lethal congenital abnormalities, in particular, spinal bifida and heart defects, near incinerators: increased risk of stillbirths and anacephalus near crematoria”.
Ramky's EIA report is quite misleading. It ignores the nearest schools, hospitals, CRPF camp and the Koilwar railway station. It refers to Ara railway station as the nearest railway station. BSPCB does not have the capacity to test and monitor dioxins emissions. It came to light that BSPCB is not enforcing environmental laws in the 99-125 factories from which hazardous industrial waste is generated which requires disposal and treatment at the palce of their generation.    

The proposed plant at Ramchak, Sampatchak, Patna-Gaya Road, district Patna is irresponsible, insensitive, anti-people, ant-environment and anti-health initiative. ToxicsWatch has undertaken the study of the Draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report and of the Pre-Feasibility report of the proposed project. The treatment facility existing at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna is proposed to be dismantled and shifted to Ramchak, Sampatchak, Patna-Gaya Road, district Patna by the Allahabad based company. The nearest railway station is Rajendra Nagar Terminal (approx. 4.35 Km towards North- West direction from the proposed site), Patna Sahib (approx. 5.54 Km towards North-East direction from the proposed site), Patna Junction (approx. 5.78 Km towards WNW direction from the proposed site), Parsa R.S. (approx. 6.4 Km towards WSW direction from the proposed site) and nearest Airport: Jai Prakash Narayan Airport, Patna (approx 9.3 km towards NW direction from the proposed site).

The nearest State Highway (SH), SH-1 is ( approx. 5.8 Km towards South direction from the proposed site), SH-78 (approx. 12.6 Km towards South direction from the proposed site) and SH-93 (approx. 13.0 Km towards NE direction from the proposed site) and National Highway (NH)-98 is (approx. 2.1 Km towards ESE direction from the proposed site), NH-83 (approx. 5.5 Km towards West direction from the proposed site) and NH-30 (approx. 7.0 Km towards East direction from the proposed site). The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is located 8.5 km towards WNW direction from the project site.

For Details: Dr Gopal Krishna, LLB, PhD, ToxicsWatch, E-mail: krishnagreen@gmail.com, Web: www.toxicswatch.org