Jajpur: The abrupt delay in doling out compensation to the displaced villagers in Kalinganagar here and their subsequent employment in Nilachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) steel plant has sparked sharp resentment among them as they vowed to stop work in the plant if their demands are not met by January 21.
The displaced villagers claimed that they will block all the gates of the plant if their 15-point charter demands submitted to the managing director of NINL is not fulfilled by January 21.
The meeting of the rehabilitation and peripheral development advisory committee (RPDAC) has become a mere formality, said Nilachal Basachyuta committee president Benudhar Nayak after emerging from a meeting Sunday.
The RPDAC meetings are not being regularly held in Kalinganagar for which the industrial units are showing no signs of implementing the committee’s decisions.
The villagers claimed that their land were acquired for establishment of industrial units in the 1990s for which they may be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh per acre of land.
The displaced also strongly opposed the disparity in compensation given to them and their counterparts in other parts of the state.
They alleged that the farmers in Sambalpur district received Rs 10.82 lakh as compensation which includes Rs 7.73 lakh compensation and 42 per cent solatium per acre of land in 2007 for establishment of Rathi sponge iron plant in Sambalpur district.
The compensation was much higher in comparison to what was paid to them in Kalinaganagar. The displaced villagers were paid Rs 52,000 per acre of land during land acquisition for NINL.
Later, they were paid Rs 48,000 ex-gratia on the basis of revised rules in 2006-07. Accordingly, they received only Rs 1 lakh for parting with their land. They have demanded an additional payment of Rs 4 lakh.
They also demanded employment to all villagers, granting family status to all male members within the age-group of 18-30 and Rs 6,000 allowances from the day of displacement till employment.
They also demanded services to the next of the kin of the bereaved employees, healthcare facilities, and construction of roads, drains, crematorium and playgrounds in Nilachal Colony. The villagers claimed that the Dalits and the members of the Kudumi community among the tribals have been given a raw deal for which there have been incidents of starvation deaths and begging among them.
Displaced villagers Babuli Purty, Mahiram Purty, Manoj Tudu and Ajay Mahanta attended the meeting.
When contacted, Sirish Mohapatra, NINL’s HR head, said a meeting has been fixed with the ADM, Kalinganagar, on the issue Monday and further steps will be taken on the basis of the decisions taken in the meeting.
PNN