Authorities in the state of Odisha, India, must provide immediate
remedy and reparation to families forcibly evicted in Jagatsinghpur
district for a project proposed by South Korean steel company POSCO,
Amnesty International India said today.
"These evictions were
unlawful and have devastated the livelihoods of thousands of people,"
said Shashikumar Velath, Director of Programmes at Amnesty International
India.
"Authorities acquired land without engaging in genuine
consultation with affected persons, or providing adequate notice or
adequate compensation. They have been violating the rights of these
villagers for years. They must now ensure that the affected families
receive effective remedies."
Officials from the Odisha government
and police resumed forced evictions on 28 June 2013 in continuing
efforts to acquire land for the project. On the same day, police
personnel baton-charged protestors, injuring at least 20 people.
On
4 July, Satya Kumar Mallick, the head of the Jagatsinghpur district
administration, told Amnesty International India that acquisition of
1092 hectares for the first phase of the project had been completed, and
authorities would now begin digging trenches to demarcate the acquired
land.
Most of the area contained betel vineyards on common land -
village property that falls under the authority of local bodies and is
intended to be used by local communities - which many families depend on
for their livelihoods.
According to Mallick, all farmers in the
area had been consulted and given compensation – a one-time fixed cash
payment – for land seized, and farmers had “voluntarily" dismantled
their betel vines. But local activists and some residents say that they
were not consulted or given adequate notice, and that those who refused
compensation had their land seized under physical duress without their
consent.
"We don’t need their compensation; we want to lead our
lives in peace without fear of being beaten, displaced or arrested,"
said Ranjan S, a resident of Gobindpur village.
According to the
UN Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development based evictions and
displacement, all persons threatened with or subject to forced evictions
have the right to timely remedy which includes a fair hearing, access
to legal counsel, legal aid, return, restitution, resettlement,
rehabilitation and compensation.
“The central and state
governments have a duty to respect and protect the rights of these
communities, and they need to act accordingly,” said Shashikumar Velath.
"For starters, victims of forced evictions must have access to effective remedies and the right to reparation.
"POSCO must carry out a comprehensive human rights impact assessment in consultation with local communities.
"Authorities
must recognize individual and community claims to land, carry out
genuine consultation with those affected, and only carry out further
evictions as a last resort, as required by international standards,"
said Shashikumar Velath.
"Any unnecessary use of force or other
rights violations committed by the police must be investigated and those
responsible, including those with command responsibility, should be
held to account," said Shashikumar Velath.
"Under the UN Guiding
Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies have a responsibility
to respect all human rights. POSCO must ensure that it takes steps to
become aware of, prevent and address the adverse human rights impacts
linked to land acquisition for its project."
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