In rural India, wealth just out of reach
Pailikhand's magnificent diamond wealth is held up by bewildering bureaucracy and lawsuits.
from the May 22, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Diamonds: A lawyer's best friend
After all, they have given up waiting on the courts. In 2001, the state alleged that the B. Vijay Kumar mining company was sending more samples from Pailikhand abroad for analysis than was permitted under its contract. B. Vijay Kumar contested the charge, and the Chhattisgarh high court issued a stay – stopping all mining in the hills around Pailikhand until it reached a decision.
It still hasn't. In fact, it isn't even close, says a local lawyer. "Now, nobody is serious," says Vinod Chawada, who specializes in natural-resource law and is familiar with the case.
For its part, B. Vijay Kumar has refused to abandon its claims to the site. Meanwhile, the government has moved on to other areas of the state, where it is allowing companies like South African diamond giant DeBeers to search for new deposits, in hopes of beginning diamond production by 2010.
In Indian jurisprudence, the delay is hardly unusual. "The average time span for a dispute to be resolved through the court system is about 20 years," reported the investigative arm of the Indian government, the Chief Vigilance Commission, in 2000 – adding that many people use the courts simply to avoid justice.
Unlike the state or B. Vijay Kumar, however, the people of Pailikhand have no Plan B – other than to go back to the ancient practice of harvesting mahua seeds, which is processed into cooking oil, simply to survive the dry season.
"I am going to pick mahua, while there are diamonds in our village," says Balram Nagesh, a student. "I am very angry. It's in our backyard, but we can't use it for our own welfare."
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