A Maoist who was allegedly involved in the killing of five policemen and subversive activities ahead of the Lok Sabha polls was today arrested in Latehar district.

Birbal Oraon, the self-styled 'Deputy Section Commander' of the CPI (Maoist) operating in Latehar, was nabbed from a place in Latehar following a specific intelligence tip, Latehar police station officer-in-charge Ravikant Prasad told a press conference here.

During interrogation, Oraon had confessed to blowing up of two buildings housing a school and a health centre in April this year, Prasad said. Oraon was allegedly a part of a guerrilla squad that gunned down five policemen on July 29.

"Oraon also admitted that he had made an abortive attempt to target a police van when he fitted a 100-kg bomb under a culvert at Podialana on March 19, 2009," the police officer said.

Daily News & Analysis - ‎Oct 1, 2009‎

There is a cure for almost every medical condition. But how do health officials tackle superstitions?

With only 30 per cent of womenfolk living in rural areas turning up for immunisation programmes, state health officials have conceded that superstitions are keeping them away. And that is making it difficult for them to administer treatment or spread awareness among them.

For instance, many expecting mothers are afraid of taking the tetanus toxoid vaccine as they believe that it will lead to abortion or infertility, which can lead to being ostracised from society.

Such beliefs, health workers have found, were prevalent among residents of Sahebganj, Koderma, Gumla, Godda, Garwha and Latehar districts. However, an NGO, USAID, under its programme Vistaar, is working towards improving reproductive and child health in these regions through survival programmes, in association with state departments.

R Choudhary, the team leader associated with the project, agreed that superstitious beliefs were adversely affecting healthcare programmes. "We have been working in the rural healthcare sector for the past six months and so far the results haven't been very encouraging," she rued.

Many tribal women refused to take iron folic acid tablets. "Around 80 per cent of women suffer from anaemia but they refuse to take pills as they feel it would make them weaker," she said.

Immunisation of infants and children was another battle for health officials. "There are limited health services available. Women and children have to suffer due to low literacy rate and lack of decision-making powers. Besides, the infant mortality rate (IMR) is quite high. For example, in Sahebganj it is as high as 147 per 1,000 births," she said.

High death rate is mainly due to low birth weight, lack of basic knowledge among mothers, poverty, and inaccessibility to healthcare facilities and infectious diseases such as malaria and kala-azar.

Besides, nurses and midwives have to fight superstitions too. "We want to improve access to quality maternal and new-born care, improve nutrition and treat infectious diseases," the team leader said.

If only patients could hold on to this belief.

Ranchi, Aug. 5: Telegraph

As security forces continue to flush out CPI-Maoists from Lalgarh in West Bengal, there is a fear that a similar situation may occur in the Latehar district of Jharkhand if steps are not taken immediately.

Latehar, which has seen large-scale Maoist violence during the general elections, has been a stronghold of the extremists. The district's hilly terrain and dense forests make it inaccessible to the security forces and a 'safe zone' for the Maoists, who, according to police sources, have consolidated their position. The area is also surrounded by other Maoist strongholds like Chatra, Palamau, Garhwa, Giridih and Hazaribagh.

According to a senior officer of the state's special branch, the Barhania incident, in which five innocent villagers were killed by security forces, had given the Maoists the much needed 'spark' to create a Lalgarh-like situation. However, it did not happen because the outfit did not have a 'leader of stature', who could have led an 'effective attack' on the government.

"In Lalgarh, Maoists took control of the area by alienating the people from the government. That was possible due to continuous monitoring by Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, a member of the central committee of the banned outfit. But in Latehar, no such top leader, having 'acceptability', camped after the Barhania incident. Otherwise, the situation would have gone out of control," the officer said.

According to him, if effective steps are not taken by the state government, Latehar may witness a Lalgarh-like situation. The Maoists, he added, also showed their might when they hijacked the Mugalsarai-Barkakana passenger train on April 22 for four hours. The police did not dare reach the spot and the Maoists released the passengers on their own wish.

"Regarding the Barhania incident, the state government first termed the victims as extremists. But when the Maoists protested, the government agreed to get the incident probed after which the victims were found to be villagers. In fact their kin were given Rs 1 lakh compensation also recently. The government also transferred DC, SP and DIG of the area, after the incident. All this could have turned the situation volatile but thankfully it did not happen. But any slackness on part of government may invite trouble in the area in future," said the officer.

Calcutta-based Electrosteel Castings Limited, at the centre of a foreigner vs local row raging at the site of its upcoming steel plant near Bokaro, had been apprehending trouble for sometime and had even apprised the local administration about their fears.

While revealing this, state industry secretary N.N. Sinha also alluded to the hand of vested interests in the dispute over attendance that was triggered on Monday and blew up into a full-scale confrontation between local villagers and the Chinese workforce of the plant yesterday.

"This kind of problem erupts suddenly and we do not know if there are vested interests working from behind," Sinha said, even as he applauded companies investing in Jharkhand for engaging "highly-skilled foreign workers" in their projects here.

At least three ongoing industrial projects are using overseas talent from China and Australia — as many as 650 Chinese engineers and workers, engaged at various project sites, were currently living in the state.

Calcutta-based Electrosteel Integrated Limited (EIL), which is a subsidiary of the Rs 1,400 crore Electrosteel Castings Limited, has engaged 600 Chinese labourers at Parbatpur, 35km from Bokaro, where they are helping set up a 3MTPA steel plant.

Giridih-based Atibir Industries Company Limited, that's building a Rs 350 crore steel unit of 0.6MTPA, is using 22 Chinese engineers at its site in Mahtodih, about 8km from the district headquarters.

Abhijeet Group's Corporate Power Limited has engaged Shanghai Engineering Power Construction Company (SEPCO) as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for its 1,200 MW thermal power plant that's coming up at Chandwa in Latehar. At least 20-25 SEPCO engineers are working at the site.

The group has also engaged Australian mining company Thiess with expertise in deep mining activities (beyond 300ft) at the Chittarpur coal block in Chandwa where it has been granted mining rights over 55.34 hectare.

Company sources said once mining would start, they would have at least 50 Australian engineers stationed at the site.

All these company's have their own reasons for hiring foreign expertise. "They are skilled workers who are very fast in their job," said an EIL official, referring to their Parbatpur project.

"We have hired their services on a turnkey basis and given that our project is already delayed, they come in handy for us," he added.

At Parbatpur, EIL has a workforce of 1,800, including the 600 Chinese workers.

But in state that is politically volatile with an unemployment rate that's higher than the national average, using foreign expertise could turn out to be a tricky affair.

"It's probably a cost saving mechanism, but I don't think foreign labourers are wanted for civil or machinery commissioning work for a steel plant," said Lazrus Khess, assistant general manager (projects) of Maharashtra-based Mukand Engineers Limited, a company specialising in such work.

Jayant Jaipal Singh, senior manager (corporate affairs) of Essar Steels, Jharkhand Limited, said without taking local villagers into confidence and ensuring them jobs in the sector, no company can think of prospering in any state. "Moreover, there is widespread resentment in Jharkhand over giving up agricultural land for industry," he said.

May 14, 2009 / Telegraph

It has been three weeks since Maoist rebels torched six trucks carrying bauxite on Ghaghra-Bishunpur road. But Hindalco Industries Limited, a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, is paying the price till date.

Two units of Hindalco, one in Renukoot and the other in Muri, are on the verge of running out of bauxite deposits as dispatch and transportation of ores from mines in Gumla and Lohardaga districts have stopped after that incident. Fearing fresh Maoist attacks, transporters have stopped ferrying bauxite ores to the units.

"For over 21 days, we have not been able to send bauxite to our Muri-based refinery and integrated plant in Renukoot. As a result, the units are slowly running out of bauxite deposits, thus dealing a blow to manufacture of aluminium products," said K.K. Dave, the general manager (mines) of Hindalco Industries Limited. He added that 7,000 to 8,000 tonnes of bauxite get transported from the mines every day under normal circumstances.

He further pointed out that in the 2008-09 fiscal, out of 365 days, there were 200 non-working days in the mines due to the bandhs called by various rebel outfits in the area. "The scene has not changed in this fiscal. How can industries exist in the state under these circumstances?" asked Dave.

To ensure that trucks and dumpers can safely ply on the route, the police top brass held a high-level meeting with transporters in Gumla on May 29. Senior police officials, including IG (operations) D.K. Pandey, DIG (Ranchi zone) R.K. Mallick and superintendents of police of Lohardaga, Gumla and Latehar — three districts where either mines are located or ore-carrying vehicles ply through — tried to convince the transporters to ply their vehicles, assuring protection.

After the meeting, Mallick had even claimed that dispatch and transportation of bauxite from the region would resume soon. But the situation has failed to look up.

According to sources, People's Liberation Front of India had attacked the trucks on May 12 to avenge the death of two of their top cadres.

Besides, the outfit has asked the state and the company to ensure better health, education, electricity and road facilities for villages located around the mines.

June 4, 2009 / Telegraph

Hundreds of families in Jharkhand who are living as refugees due to the Maoist poll boycott are caught between the police and the Maoists.

The elections are over now and the Central Government has been formed, but the nightmare for the displaced is far from over.

Many families have had to flee from their villages before the poll. The Maoist threat and the repression by police have forced them to leave their villages, homes, education of children and their mode of livelihood.

"We are very poor and earn our living through farming. From one side the Maoists were pressurising on us and from the other side the police oppressed us so we fled. Now it is getting difficult for us to provide education to our children. We are now living here with difficulties in this small room under one roof," claimed Parvatia Devi, a displaced woman from Saryu village.

After fleeing from their villages, the displaced are now living a life of refugees.

Satwant Singh is presently staying under the police surveillance in Banpur in the district headquarters of Latehar. He has been displaced for a decade. Singh was the resident of Mandra village, which is 15 kilometres away from Latehar.

"When the Maoists entered the Latehar district, they asked us for support. When we refused, they burnt our houses and killed some of our family members. We are now living under the surveillance of police. We cooperate with them and they also help us," said Satwant Singh.

Polling in Latehar district took place on April 16 and the turnout of voters was very low.

The Central Reserve Police Force had to open fire following an attack by a group of Maoists at Latehar during the first phase of polling. Five persons were killed in the incident.

The Maoists had also hijacked a train for four hours at Hehegarh railway station in the district.

Latehar has been named after the village of the same name on Ranchi - Daltonganj Road. It is 100 k.m. away by road from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. Latehar is famous for its rich natural beauty, forest, forest products and mineral deposits. Latehar is located on the north–west corner of Jharkhand in the Palamu Commissionary. It is surrounded by Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Palamu and Chatra district apart from Chhattisgarh state and situated between 840.31' East Longitude and 230 44.5' North Latitude.

The influence of Mughals extended to Palamu during the reign of Emperor Akbar, when Palamu was invaded by Raja Man Singh in 1574. The troops left by him were however driven out in 1605, when Akbar died. In 1629 Shahjehan appointed Ahmad Khan as Subedar of Patna and Palamu was given to him as Jageer. He imposed tribute on Chero rulers, but they refused to pay the tribute and hence Palamu faced three successive invasions of Muslims.

The quarrel among the claimants of rights of kingship on Palamu gave way to the British to invade Palamu for the first time in 1772 and the fort of Palamu was captured. In 1832 the Cheros and Kharwars raised their voice against administration. The insurgents were however defeated in an engagements with the British forces near Latehar.

During 1857 movement Palamu was the most severely affected zone of Chotanagpur plateau. The brothers Nilambar and Pitambar, the chief of Bhogta clan of Kharwar tribe were holding ancestral Jagirs. Taking advantage of the movements against British rule they made up their minds to declare themselves to be independents and were joined by many Chero Jagirdars. They jointly attacked on British supporters. 'O' Malley (1907) has narrated that Nilambar and Pitambar were eventually captured, tried and hanged. Palamu played important role in freedom movement of the country. A momentous event was the visit of Mahatma Gandhi along with Shri Rajendra Prasad to Daltonganj on 11th January 1927. The August disturbances in 1942 had their echoes in Palamau as well. Railway lines were dismantled, telegraph lines were cut a large number of people both at the district headquarters and the interior were arrested.

Thus it is apparent that Latehar as a part of Palamau has undergone the impacts of Chero rule, British rule, Muslim infusion, Jamindari and Jagirdari Pratha various freedom movements etc. time to time.

It's a predominantly tribal district with almost 40% of the population belonging to the schedule tribes and more than 66 % of total population comprises SCs and STs. The total area of the district is 3,671 Sq. Km and one of the block headquarters is more than 200 K.M. away from the district headquarters.

There are seven Blocks in the district within which distantly located villages are scattered amidst the dense forest, hilly terrains and agricultural fields. The number of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is predominantly high here and Latehar comes under Tribal Sub Plan Area.

The economy of the people revolves round the forest, agriculture and minerals.

(a) Agriculture: - A large number of people are engaged in agricultural activities. Cultivation of paddy, maize, cereals, wheat, oil seeds etc. are common. The people are either working as agricultural labourers or cultivators. Kharif and Rabbi are the main agricultural seasons. Karma festival is celebrated for good production of crops.

(c) Mines and Minerals: - The geological reports say that the district is very rich in various mineral deposits. There is abundance of deposit of Coal, Bauxite, Laterite, Dolomite, and Graphite etc. Granite, Quartz, Fireclay, Felspar etc. The excavation and exploration of these minerals have provided job opportunities to the inhabitants of this hinterland to some extent because these minerals have not been fully explored at large scale and there are no mineral based industries in the district.

(d) Animal Husbandry: -The quality of livestock is very poor. Cow, goats etc. are of local variety and the average milk yield is very less. There is a vast scope in the field of animal husbandry in Latehar.

(e) Trade and commerce: - In place of old Mahajans and landlords, various banks are operating their branches is the district but it is a matter of fact that most of the villages are so scattered that the system of primary trade in the hands of vyaparis and village sahukars still continues. Paddy thrashing, dona pattal making, bamboo basket making, selling of mahua flowers. Lacs, Kendu leaves and other minor forest produces are main components of trading activities. In the absence of major industries and employment opportunities, the options of economic development are limited. Animal husbandry, piggery and fisheries etc. have good potential, but this sector has still remained unexplored.

Education

There are 19 High Schools, 1224 Middle and Primary Schools, one Model High School at Netarhat (Mahuadanr Block), One Govt. Polytechnic and one Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, 05 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and 10 Residential schools for S.C/S.T. students in Latehar district. Latehar became the first district in Jharkhand where cooked mid-day meal scheme was initiated in 200 selected primary schools comprising 20,782 enrolled students in December 2003. Now all 1224 primary schools, including all EGS centres and all minority schools, comprising 1, 37,000 students in January 2006 have been covered under this scheme and going on successfully. With this the one fourth of total population of district has been brought under the umbrella of mid day meal scheme. Each of these Schools has been provided with Kitchen Sheds for cooking and storage purpose and the same has been constructed by utilizing development funds. Mother Committee "Sarswati Vahini", comprising all the mothers of students of the school and where one of the mothers of the children becomes convener of the committee and supervises the successful implementation of the scheme at the school.

It is also to be noted that Latehar district is a part of Palamu Division, which is very infamous for so-called starvation deaths and acute malnutrition standard and it had been the poignant issue for naxal extremists to make people hostile towards government and administration.