The Context

Jharkhand's Chota Nagpur plateau is home to some of the most primeval forests and indigenous tribes in India. The forests here are home to sacred groves, called Sarnas, which are worshipped by the local communities such as the Santhals, the Ho Mundas and other tribes. They believe that the grove serves as a sanctuary for their Gram Deoti or God Sing Bonga. Our Purulia-Kharagpur transmission line passed through Sarna Sthal. The community believed that any construction through their sacred grove would anger their God and bring harm to the community.

Respecting Faith of the Community

We, at Sterlite Power, respected their tradition, and modified our route plan to minimize the impact. Though it posed a risk of delay in project completion, the organization's leadership was sensitive to the beliefs of the community and engaged with multiple stakeholders to create synergy amongst local communities, project teams, and government agencies. The team established a strong relationship with the chief of the community, who was also a priest at the Sing Bonga temple, to understand the community's customs better. While the beautiful community was greatly appreciative of our inclusive approach, for us this is the way of life at Sterlite Power.