Keonjhar: A Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) that has been formed to look after issue like environmental protection, job creation and several other allied issues of private companies is not holding its meeting regularly in Keonjhar. As a result, major issues concerning the residents, like jobs have allegedly been kept unaddressed.
Taking advantage of the situation, SAIL has neglected its peripheral activities while the district administration has been a mute spectator, the last RPDAC meeting on SAIL was held in June 2016 when the administration had laid stress on creating jobs in the proposed beneficiation project of SAIL.
Locals pointed out that since the company is not giving much importance to job scope in mineral bearing areas, people have to migrate to other states in search of jobs. Mining has caused massive pollution in these areas where people are living dilapidated conditions.
Mining has left rivers, creeks and water bodies polluted while basic facilities like road connectivity, drinking water, healthcare, education and electricity have been a dream for the residents in many mining-affected pockets, reports said.
Mining lease holders transport minerals out of the district, but they don’t pay heed to value-addition of the same area.
Growing mining activities are dealing death blows to the landscape. As greenery shrinks, wild habitats are at stake. Due to SAIL’s mining activities, Karo-Karmpada elephant corridor is in grave danger, locals added.
As RPDAC meeting is supposed to be a glim of hope in the entire anomaly, even here however, the company has allegedly been doing nothing on its promises of setting up a beneficiation plans and at least of creating jobs for locals.
As for RPDAC meetings, ADM Bhakta Charan Pradhan said that the committee usually takes a call on holding a meeting and the administration is taking steps in this direction.
PNN