Diamond Scam At Buxwaha

 Do you know the world’s largest scam?

The Diamond Scam. We have also fallen prey to this scam  , maybe you have been as well  and soon, multiple tress & animals of Buxwaha will fall for this too. A huge diamond mine was found in MP’s Buxwaha forest for which they plan to cut more than 2 lakh tree, that too for scam.

 

This is Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh

And this is Buxwaha forest

This is home to many medicinal plants and protected species, but don’t get attached . because if all goes well, this greenery will vanish in a few years, because we are not concerned about things above ground

We are more interested in things below the ground Diamonds!  This is no ordinary mine , it is India largest diamond mine. Studies show roughly 34 million carats of rough diamond here, but to reach this treasure at least 2.5 lakh trees will have to be sacrificed.

This problem is not the cutting of so many trees only, this is the home of around 8000 tribals as well, they have depended on the forest for their livelihood for years.

So, let’s start discussing some solution

1.    The Govt. has said they will plant between 4-10 lakh trees, but is this logic valid?

Is it right to cut 50-100 year old trees to plant new saplings? I don’t think so.

Let’s not talk about what will happen, let’s talk about what has already happened think about it,

When you move from one house to another. you only move when the new home is ready Right?

Can we use the same logic for compensatory tree plantation? The diamonds aren’t goi8ng anywhere so to speak, if it is so easy to replace a forest let’s do it first! Can we prepare a forest first? Can we create an ecosystem first? Then there is proof that you have actually done something, let the saplings grow a little into mature trees. A little waiting is’t going to reduce a diamond’s value.

 

2.       This project history is repeatedly neglected, similar contract was awarded to RIO TINTO company 2006. They spent $90 million. Mining in the area could not start till the year 2016.

But mining doesn’t start due to environmental concerns, Protest, litigation reports, Once company has faced this already, bidding for a similar contract was restarted in this year 2019.

Do we learn nothing from our previous mistakes? Or are these bids a away to make a quick buck? This truth is, we don’t know Rio Tinto was awarded this contract for 954 hectares. The present contract has been awarded for 382 hectares from that, only 62 hectares is for actual diamond mining. The remaining are is to be used for dumping rocks & debris, is it logical to cut so many trees for a dumping ground? Buxwaha is a water stressed region. This area is already declared as semi critical & water stressed. This mine will use 5.9 million cubic metes water everyday. The proposed dam to meet this water requirement will create water scarcity in other areas.

 

3.      Let’s talk about the actual scam a wise man said the best theft is the one where, you don’t realize you have been robbed, diamonds are a theft like a that, they are a scam. Diamonds are intrinsically worthless. De Beers corporation CEO NICKY OPPENHEIMER said that. De Beers corporation was a monopoly till the year 2000. When diamond prices fell worldwide. Supply was artificially reduced till the prices rose again . Infect proposing with a diamond ring is not part of any culture, through advertisement, films  even lectures in high school, people were convinced and brainwashed that true love can be shown only through  a diamond ring because diamond are forever. A man who can’t spend 2 months of his salary for a diamond ring can never keep his future wife happy. This simple idea was pushed through pop culture and films and was repeatedly hammered through our minds. In 1967, only 5% of the people in japan proposed with a ring De Beers started brainwashing people for 10 years in just 10 years, 50% of people proposed with a diamond ring. A Diamond is forever this brainwashing campaign is so big, so effective so, spectacular. We don’t realize that what we’re buying doesn’t have value. You can try it yourself , try selling a diamond, Gold has standard rate you know 6the resale value. Diamond doesn’t have resale value. We spend things of actual value trees, water, our hard earned money, In return, we get a shiny thing that has no real value It’s a scam right!

This makes us angry because a diamond is not forever, all you need to destroy a diamond is OXYGEN. If diamond is heated to 700 degree temperature it will change into what it actually intrinsically is CARBON. Ultimately, we need to understand one thing wheather it is a diamond mine or a coal mine  we don’t find these reserves under an empty vacant land these reserves. These reserves are under dense forests because carbon trapped under forests plus decades of pressure converts into coal or diamonds. If we need this ‘treasure‘ below the ground. We’ll have to say our byes to the treasure ON the ground. This fact is not going to change till we change, till the time we don’t realize what is the true treasure.

No, we ‘re not asking you’re boycott diamonds it is your money  and you decide where to spend it . the other fact is this project will also generate jobs. It’s true the state govt. will get Rs.1500 crore pa from the  project. Our economy is suffering today big projects help to stabilize the economy. This is the other side of the argument and we can’t ignore this. Problem is the locals will be most impacted by this project. The environment will get impacted the trees will get impacted And the people profiting from this are not the same. Personally, we don’t think that this imbalance is correct.