JAGATSINGHPUR: If livelihood of villagers in Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadakujang panchayats has been affected due to JSW’s proposed plant, the condition of bamboo artisans from neighbouring villages, solely dependent on vetel vines, is no better. These artisans eked a living by supplying bamboo strips and baskets to betel vines most of which have been demolished now for the plant.
This has evoked resentment among the families who are now demanding compensation for their loss of livelihood. As per reports, there are around 1,500 bamboo artisans, mostly belonging to Scheduled Caste, in neighbouring villages of Erasama and Kujang blocks who supplied the vineyards nearby with bamboo baskets for transport of betel leaves, bamboo strips to bind the creepers and other items.
Sources say, these SC families earlier used to supply over 4,000 bamboo baskets for transporting betel leaves to outside states via trains and trucks but are able to sell around 300-400 baskets now as the demand dipped after betel vine demolition. Nearly 2,400 betel vines were destroyed for Posco and 822 have been razed for JSW.
Parbati Behera, an SC woman from Balitutha, said her family was making bamboo baskets for nearly five decades but the current scenario has posed a crisis.”It takes two to three days to make a basket and each fetches around Rs 300-Rs 500. I used to make over Rs 10,000 a month. But after demolition of betel vines, I am hardly able to earn Rs 2,000,” she said.
Contacted, JSW Assistant General Manager (Media) Rupali Kar informed that the company is currently conducting a socio-economic study in collaboration with XUMB to assess the livelihood pattern of different target groups such as fishermen, farmers, women self help groups who have lost land in peripheral villages. Based on the findings, a detailed livelihood action plan would be drawn.