Orissa Matters

Phailin fails to damage the guts of Gopalpur, the only Port in the hands of an Oriya in Orissa

Subhas Chandra Pattanayak

Historian Dr. Amiya Kumar Mohanty argues in his book ‘State and Government in Ancient Orissa’ that the main cause of Kalinga war was perhaps Ashoka’s desire to occupy the ports of Orissa. By using these ports, the people of ancient Orissa, famous as the ablest seafarers amongst people of India had become the first and the most acclaimed founders of colonies and commercial hubs in foreign lands. The old Prome, in Burma, often mentioned in the Mon records as Sikset or Srikset, was the ancient Oriya colony, known to all as an excellent centre of trade and commerce. Mentioning this in Brahminical Gods in Burma, Dr. Nihara Ranjan Roy says, “Likewise the earliest colonization of the Malaya Peninsula and Java had probably been made from Kalinga, for Hindus of the Peninsula and the islands were and are still known as Kling”. According to ‘The Age of Imperial Kanauj’, Oriya culture and commerce was so deep in whole of Malaysia that outsiders were calling it “Kalinga”. Our research has led us to write in these pages earlier that Melaka was established as a commercial metropolis by Orissa’s famous prince Hambira, the eldest son of the Oriya emperor Kapilendra Dev. Behind all such colonizing and commercial success in foreign lands by the ancient Oriyas were the excellent ports and waterways of Orissa. Even, much after Oriya mana was eclipsed by Vedic imperialists (Sri Jaya Devanka Baisi Pahacha, Subhas Chandra Pattanayak, Bharata Bharati, Cuttack), and the splendid land was occupied by the British through treachery and plundered by envious neighbors serving the British as their native servants, the vessels of Orissa were found to be uniquely excellent. They were “by far the best that I ever saw in any part of India”, wrote Mr. E.Watson, Judge of Calcutta Court of Circuit in a communication to W.B.Bayley, Secretary to British Government in the Judicial Department, on 3 May 1817. So, unquestionably the Oriyas of the past were the masters of the waters; and owners of the best of the vessels ever seen in India; and their coast was the busiest in seafaring activities.

One of these ports was Gopalpur, mentioned as ‘Apheterion’ in table VI of Ptolemy’s Geography (The Ports of Orissa, Dr. Kartikeswar Patra, Panchashila, p.16).

Time had taken its toll under unfortunate political developments and it was pushed into decay and abandonment.

In the last part of his first phase of two-terms-long chief-ministry, J.B.Patnaik tried to revive it, to begin with, as an anchorage in 1987.

But as fellows of sinister purposes infested administration with increased velocity, it was made defunct from February 2002 till September 2006, when, a concept was mooted to develop it into an all weather port. Steps were taken in 2006 in this regard by calling for international bidding. By then, under the incumbent chief minister, Orissa was being forced into colonization by non-Oriyas in every sphere including seaports. And the international bidding was sure to handover Gopalpur, the most active port of ancient Kalinga, to any non-Oriya.

In that circumstances, an Oriya of exceptional entrepreneurial zeal and merit, Sri Mahimanand MIshra, decided to bid for the port, as a part of his mission to upkeep Oriya mana.

He had to face repeated mischiefs played by non-Oriyas from the moment he made his bid for the Port. Even, environmental clearance sought for in 2007 had to limp till end of 2011. Equipped with environment clearance, the project proceeded in right earnest. The highly haughty sea had to give way to a calm harbor under a 1750 meter breakwater barrier created by Mr. Mishra and his dedicated team in remarkable speed with utmost precision.

With the first vessel M. V. Wise entering into its harbor channel on 23 May 2013, commercial operation of the “all weather port” commenced on 29 May 2013 and since then seven vessels were handled before Phailin had its landfall in the port itself.

This being the only port built up and controlled by an Oriya in the long coast of Orissa, it should have been proper for the Chief Minister to have visited the devastated site when he visited the storm struck district of Ganjam. He could have, thereby, stood with 4776 workers and 376 executive staff of the port in that moment of deep distress. But he didn’t. Had he gone to Gopalpur, he could have had a firsthand view of how severe was the damage to the port. However, on the very same day of his tour to Ganjam, this reporter had reached the spot of wreckage of Gopalpur, in course of acquiring firsthand view of the devastated district along with media consultant Pabitra Kumar Maharatha.

Phailin had its landfall on this Port. And, being an anabatic cyclone, its entire intensity hammered the port with murderous fierceness while rushing upwards in menacing speed. General Manager, HRD of the port, Mr. B.K.Ojha described how wind startled them in the very morning of Oct.12 at 8 AM. The port officials, who had ensured that the port workers leave for safer points much ahead of the storm, brought all the staff members to office campus for their safety. By 2 PM the wind picked up alarming speed that became horrifying by 5 PM. A lull came for a few minutes; and then, the catastrophic cyclone hit the port.

I am giving below a few pictures of the port taken months ahead of Phailin when work was going on to make it a complete all weather port. The pictures are from Cuttack’s well known photographer Prasanna Kumar Senapati.

The administrative complex thus far built, simultaneously constructed
1750 meter long breakwater had ushered in tranquility to the harbor where within a few months of commencement of commercial operation, as many as seven distinguished vessels were brilliantly handled heralding a promising future for the port.

And, the port was agog with activities to welcome the promising future.

Phailin punctured the activities and precipitated ruin.

Vessels were thrown up to the shore; Barges and dredgers were almost sunk.

Phailin was so violent on the sea that 750 out of the 1750 meter long south breakwater was shattered and submerged by the force of rising waves. The picture below shows combers roll over the crumbled, submerged portion of the breakwater barrier.

A high functionary of GPL, General manager HRD, Sri B. K. Ojha helped us have an on-the-spot picture of the extent of damage and destruction the storm had perpetrated vis-a-vis the precautions taken for withstanding the devastation.

The State did not pay any specific attention to how the port was to manage with the disaster, even though it was known that the storm was to have its landfall at Gopalpur. But, none of the 4776 workers empaneled by the port management suffered any casualty due to meticulous precautionary steps taken by GPL whereas the entire staff comprising 376 personnel and their families were safe and secured in the ramparts of the port itself with total solidarity offered to them by the authorities in that terrifying time.

So devastative was the impact of the storm that it may generally be apprehended that the port would require years to rebuild itself.

But, glory to imperturbability, Mr. Manmohan Maharana, Director of GPL, when I met him, was already in the job of restoring the port to its lost shape. “Within two to three months, we would certainly make the port rebuild and perfectly functional”, he declared. He was at that time exploring how quickly to procure survey boats from Mumbai to have a precision survey of the breakwater line so that its reconstruction can commence and to find out if any boat has sunk in the harbor channel to take up clearance thereof for quick use of the harbor. Arrangements had already begun to lift up the half-sunk barges and dredgers and restore the site office and inter-connectivity including roads for expeditious completion of reconstruction.

Guts of Gopalpur too strong to be subdued

And, as we watch, we are sure that the dedicated team of compatriots that man the GPL will finish the reconstruction in time. We had seen its well furnished site office made of steel was turned upside down by the gale-force gust of the anabatic storm. The picture below bears the signature of the savagery of the storm. But the picture at the bottom shows that the storm has failed to damage the guts of Gopalpur. The site office has already become functional on restoration.

Difference of Durga from Durga

Difference of Durga from Durga.

Konark temple owes its philosophical origin to Langudi

Konark temple owes its philosophical origin to Langudi.

Professional Journalists shall have their own PRESS CLUB

When media environment is vitiated with formation of a Club in the name of the Press by a team of owners of media industries known more for hyper-commercialism than adherence to Ethics of Journalism, professional journalists of Orissa have woken up to form a PRESS CLUB of their own.

A preparatory meeting was held for the purpose under presidentship of Sri Prasanna Kumar Mishra, Editor of the daily Sanchar on August 7 at Bhubaneswar.

Participants were clear in their opinion that “Press Club” should be a Club of professional press-persons, not a hodgepodge of users of press vanity.

Senior journalist Rabi Das, eminent columnist Prasanta Patnaik, web journalist Subhas Chandra Pattanayak, Subartta editor Pradyumna Satpathy, Resident Editor of The Telegraph Prakash Patra, Zee News bureau chief D.N.Singh, Subrata Das, Shubhashish Mohanty, K.Rabi of The Statesman, Dillip Bishoi of Financial Express, Pratap Mohanty of AFP, Debabrata Mohanty of Indian Express, Basudev Mohapatra of Nxatra TV, Secretary of National Union of Journalists Prasanna Mohanty, Debendranath Das and Ambikaprasad Kanungo of Sahana Mela, Umapada Bose and Ambika Das of Orissa Express, Akhand of India Media Centre, Sagar Satpathy of News Insite, Kedar Mishra of Anupam Bharat, Columnist SriRam Das, Subas Sarangi, Pradyumna Mohanty, Janatantra editor Vivekanand Dash, Krantidhara editor Gobinda Samal, Television journalist Durga Madhab Mishra, Ramachandi Prasad Ranasingh and Santos Tripathy of Suryaprava, Samajavadi editor Sanat Mishra, Ranjan Tripathy and Bibhuti Bhusan Rana of Orissa Times TV, Dyutikrishna Pahi and Sudhansu Patra of Live Orissa TV were active participants. Amongst others, who, because of being pre-occupied could not join, but had sent messages in support of the mission of the meet, were senior journalists Basant Das, Sampad Mohapatra, Sarada Prasanna Nanda, Jatin Das, Rajaram Satpathy, Debi Pattanayak, and Kishore Satpathy.

Eminent journalist Debendra Prusti, convener of the meeting, had initiated the discussion.

It was decided to draft a constitution for the new PRESS CLUB by a committee comprising Sri Prakash Patra (Former President of National Press Club of India), Sri D.N. Singh (Zee News) and Sri Subhas Chandra Pattanayak (orissamatters.com), under chairmanship of Sri Mishra. Sri Devendra Prusti shall remain the convener.

Global protests against Vedanta continue as verdict deferred again

By OrissaMatters Bureau

People across the globe have registered their protests against Vedanta once again. On January 11, parallel demonstrations took place in Orissa, London and New York where activists in hundreds raised slogans and upheld placards to denounce the corporate annexations of indigenous peoples’ lands.

From Niyamgiri hills, more than 500 people turned up at a rally which covered about two kilometers in the Bhawanipatna town. Resistance movements in Lanjigarh have also inspired tribal representatives of Karlapat region whose mountains are now being targeted by the mining companies. In this rally, several people who were cheated of their lands narrated the atrocities and tortures they faced from Vedanta highhandedness in Lanjigarh. They also gave an account of how the company goons and the local police routinely harass the women in the afflicted areas.

In solidarity with the indigenous peoples of Orissa, a loud group of protesters from Foil Vedanta and other grassroots groups mobbed the company’s Mayfair headquarters in London the same day. Holding a banner that read “FCA: de-list Vedanta”, the demonstrators called for the Financial Conduct Authority to remove Vedanta from the London Stock Exchange for poor corporate governance and human rights crimes.

Likewise, in New York City, protesters gathered outside the United Nations headquarters to highlight the company’s human rights crimes, displaying placards that read: “Our Mountain! Our Rights! Vedanta: Give Up!” and “Dongria Kond’s Niyamgiri: Hands Off!”

Simultaneously, the Supreme Court of India has deferred its final verdict on Vedanta’s planned mega-mine until 21st January. If permission to mine is denied Vedanta is likely to close its Lanjigarh refinery due to lack of bauxite costing them billions. On Sunday the Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh plans to visit the threatened mountain to visit the Dongria Kond.

Various grassroots groups including Phulbari Solidarity Group, Japan Against Nuclear, Tamil Solidarity and London Mining Network, along with Foil Vedanta gathered at Vedanta’s London headquarters to add their voice to recent pressure for Vedanta to be de-listed from the London Stock Exchange for its poor corporate governance, illegal operations and major human rights violations. They shouted ‘Vedanta out of London’ and blew horns and whistles. Several parliamentarians and the former CBI Director Richard LambertLondon have highlighted how Vedanta’s listing is used for legal immunity to hide their corporate crimes.

At the Supreme Court in Delhi today lawyers for Vedanta dwelled on the ongoing demonstrations in London, asking why people are protesting there, and claiming that India is suffering because of this. Judges noted that this is not relevant to the case and pointed out that people have a right to protest. Foil Vedanta’s spokesperson reacted:

“Vedanta is a London listed company and profits from this affiliation. It is typical of Vedanta to assume they are above the law and above public accountability. We will continue to draw attention to their corporate crimes here in London”.

Activists at the rally in Bhawanipatna chanted “Vedanta go back: water, land and forest ours. We are Supreme people of the supreme court” while dalit leader Surendra Nag spoke about the loss of land and livelihood for local people, some of whom have ended up as beggars. One man spoke of how his whole family had been tortured by company goons and they had lost 6 acres of land to the company without compensation.

The project has been racked with controversy from the start, as a spate of recent coverage points out: The Lanjigarh refinery built to process the bauxite from the hills was illegally constructed, the court case presided over by a judge with shares in the company, and the refinery should never have been given permission without including the associated mega mine in impact assessments. The Delhi High Court is also currently investigating the large donations from Vedanta to India’s two main political parties which could be deemed illegal as Vedanta is a foreign (British) company.

A cover story in “Open Magazine” in December details evidence of corruption and collusion between Vedanta and the Orissa state government, local officials, judges and the police to force the project through. Meanwhile Vedanta’s chairman and 56.7% owner Anil Agarwal has launched a rare PR crusade claiming that Vedanta ‘have not cut one tree’ and respects and preserves the rights of the protesting indigenous tribe living on the threatened mountain. He sets out his extractive philosophy for India – suggesting that exploration should be drastically increased and regulation decreased to provide for the domestic market for metals and oil.

If Vedanta loses the case to allow state owned company Orissa Mining Corporation to mine the mountain on their behalf they may have to close the dependent Lanjigarh refinery costing them billions. Under enormous pressure from Vedanta the Orissa government has suggested alternative bauxite supplies from a deposit located in a major wildlife sanctuary and tribal area at Karlapat arousing anger and opposition from grassroots groups.

The court’s decision rests on whether the Green Bench of India’s Supreme Court rules rules the rights of forest dwellers to be ‘inalienable or compensatory’. In view of this, India’s Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo has asked the Environment Minister to ensure the rights of forest dwellers is protected in the spirit of the Forest Dwellers Act.

Speaking about the verdict, Dongria Kond activist Lado Sikaka states: “We will continue our fight even if Vedanta gets permission. Are these Judges above the Law? In effect, they act as if they are. Niyamgiri belongs to us. We are fighting because We are part of it. Our women are harassed and we are called by the police and threatened not to go to rallies. Last month they have been working like Vedanta’s servants.”

Foil Vedanta’s Samarendra Das says: “Vedanta is not the only mining company that should be de-listed for their corporate crimes. Infamous London listed offenders Lonmin in South Africa, Monterrico in Peru, GCM in Phulbari and Bumi in Indonesia should also be investigated for extensive human rights atrocities.”