29 January 2025
– Representatives of mass struggles united against water, forest, land, livelihood and environment loot in the name of development
– 15 member Bhopal supporters group formed
Bhopal. An important meeting was held at Hindi Bhawan, Bhopal on January 28 to establish coordination between various mass struggles against the displacement and environmental destruction in Madhya Pradesh. More than 50 activists representing 17 different public struggles of the state participated in this one-day meeting organized by Jan Sangharsh Coordination Committee Madhya Pradesh and Climate Justice Campaign (CJM) Bhopal. The meeting was chaired by senior co-leader Umesh Tiwari who led various public struggles in Baghelkhand area of Madhya Pradesh. The presence of renowned environmentalist Soumya Dutta from Delhi was remarkable, the program was conducted by Vijay Kumar and Gratitude Rajesh Kumar.
The meeting included tribal leaders from the areas affected by coal quarry, farmers displaced by large dams, representatives from local communities battling rural and mining projects on the verge of losing their land due to the Tiger Reserve. All of them shared their experiences and needs of the struggles going on in their areas. Representatives involved in the meeting said thousands of people have been forcibly displaced due to alleged development projects, statistics say about 50,000 families have been displaced due to various development projects in the state over the last five years. Most of these have not received proper compensation or rehab. Representatives said in a voice that local communities are being forcibly displaced from water, forest and land due to the current development model, which is not only affecting their livelihoods but also massively destruction of the environment. We all need to learn from each other to strengthen our struggles and challenge the current model of destructive growth. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh is trying to crush mass struggles and divide on communal basis, need to strengthen its unity against it.
The meeting was formed a 15-member Bhopal supporter group including lawyers, journalists, technical experts and social workers. This group will support, technical, legal and ideological support to struggling communities. In the next three months, all the small and big struggles of the state will be connected to the Jan Sangharsh Coordination Committee. Similarly every six months Coordination Committee meeting will be held to discuss the progress and challenges of struggles. In the meeting, a pledge to unite the general public by rejecting BJP government’s “corporate-based policies” and politics of communal division.
Soumya Dutta, who came from Delhi, expressed deep concern over the climate crisis that human civilization has faced the hottest years in the last ten years, reflecting the failure of the current development model. They said the current concept of development must be changed to tackle the climate crisis. The current government is massively changing environmental laws to make the loot of corporate companies accessible. The current government is claiming to reduce carbon emissions on international platforms and on the other hand issuing licenses for mass coal and other fossil fuel mining to its corporate friends Adani-Ambani. They said we need an alternative model of development that is environmentally friendly and protects the interests of local communities.
Umesh Tiwari chaired the meeting said the nature and priorities of various conflict may vary, but the goal of all is one – protecting the rights of the environment and local communities. Today may prove to be a milestone in the history of people’s struggles in Madhya Pradesh. For the first time so many local struggles have come on one stage. We believe that only by uniting small struggles we can challenge the anomalies of the current development model.
Future
Vijay Kumar
People’s struggle coordination committee Madhya Pradesh
Mobile number – 9981773205
