The tale of Dimbuli village under Manoharpur Block is a significant implication of Gram Sabha empowerment. The village with seven Tolas and about 420 families has kept a big industrial house away from acquiring land to set up a hot metal plant there. Although the protest against the steel plant began in the year 2017 itself, after empowerment of Gram Sabha the villagers adopted a systematic approach towards it and have not given approval for land transfer for the plant yet.
Ravished by extremism the village was already facing problems like unemployment, poverty, lack of access to basic
amenities etc, when ASRA in association with PHIA and APPI started empowering the Gram Sabha there. Today, the villagers have understood the value of the Gram Sabha as a powerful institution and are using it as their principal means to thwart attempts of land acquisition.
“A company had snatched about 110 acres of land sometime ago but now the Gram Sabha has empowered us in the real sense and we came to know that the company or anyone for that matter cannot snatch our land without the consent of the Gram Sabha,” says Lal Mohan Soren one of the youth leaders of the village.
“The primary focus of the Gram Sabha is to ensure that the productive agricultural land of the tribals is not acquired for setting up an industry. This is the strongest power we have realized in the recent days. Even in our meetings the main issues discussed are outside intrusion and unity among the villagers for stopping the company,” he adds.
Villagers say that they have vigorously started demanding for development schemes in the village now. “We have been made aware of the PESA law and panchayati raj system, which confer enough power upon us to demand our rights. Recently we had demanded for check dam but they sanctioned a dova (small pond) so we did not let it be constructed here,” says Nunu Surin.
Meanwhile, the Gram Sabha is also empowering women in the village. “Most of the women here attend the Gram Sabha meetings. They also stood against the company and did not let company representatives enter the village. The women are active and, with the help of the Gram Sabha, many are engaged in Lac Farming, which helps them earn money for their own. They are also engaged in other activities such as goatery, poultry farming etc,” says Malti Surin.
“Youth participation in Gram Sabha is very encouraging. Most of them are full of ideas and they want to implement the same with full dedication. Due to their initiative the Gram Sabha has written to senior government officials that the villagers are not ready to give their land for setting up of a steel plant here. We do not want to become refugees in our own land,” says Ranji Mundari.