Congress to take out foot march in Chhattisgarh to ‘protect’ Bastar’s ‘jal, jungle, zameen’

The Chhattisgarh Congress will embark on a four-day-long foot march in Dantewada district to “protect” the ‘jal, jungle, zameen’ (water, forest, land) and mineral resources of Bastar region, a party release said here on Sunday.

State unit chief Deepak Baij will lead the march, ‘Nyay Padyatra’, which will start on Monday from Kirandul town and culminate in Dantewada on May 29, when party workers will gherao the collector’s office, it said.

In the statement, Baij claimed that the Vishnu Deo Sai government in the state has “once again turned Chhattisgarh into a pasture land for corporate houses”.

Four major iron ore mines of Bastar – Bailadila 1A, 1B and 1C in Dantewada district and Hahaladi in Kanker – were handed over to private companies for 50 years, he said.

“This is the beginning as preparations are being made to hand over all the precious mineral wealth of Bastar to Adani. Red carpet is being laid out in the Bastar region for Adani,” Baij alleged.

The foot march will highlight all these issues and protect the state's natural resources, he added.

The tribal-dominated Bastar region in south Chhattisgarh comprises seven districts of Kanker, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma.