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Farmers of Yadgir district, India, take up legal battle against uranium mining

Uranium mining: State defies Centre http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130908/news-current-affairs/article/uranium-mining%E2%80%88state-defies-centre  DC | K.N. Reddy Gulbarga: Upset with the decision of authorities of the revenue department to resume acquisition of land around Saidapur, Diggi and Gogi villages for extraction of Uranium, farmers of Yadgir district have decided to resume their agitation as well as approach the court for justice.

Farmers were relieved when the Union ministry of environment and forests issued an order scrapping the mining unit three months ago. District authorities, however, continued with the process of acquisition of land after halting it temporarily.

According to information available, the district authorities have acquired 163 acres and four guntas of land in Saidapur and Diggi for mining Uranium.

The plant would be set up on a hillock where the borders of Saidapur, Umaradoddi and Diggi villages meet. While 46 acres and 15 guntas have been acquired in Saidapur village, followed by 116 acres and 32 guntas in Diggi village limits, and 49 acres and 19 guntas under Gogi and Umaraddi village limits.

“We cannot even buy a 30 X 40 ft site in our village with the compensation amount awarded for an acre of our land. How can we accept this? We will launch an agitation against this” says Bhimareddy Patil, President of Raithara Horata Samiti.

When contacted, deputy commissioner of Yadgir F M Jamadar admitted that authorities have resumed acquisition of land acquisition. “We are doing this as we have not received any intimation from the government directing us to stop the land acquition process,” he added.

Asked about the order of the Union government, scrapping the unit, Jamadar said “the Centre may have issued the order asking Uranium Corporation of India Limited to wind up the project. But we have received no information to stop the land acquition process.”

September 9, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, opposition to nuclear, Uranium