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Project-displaced villagers demand return of land

BERHAMPUR: Inhabitants of 12 villages in Ganjam district who had been displaced for the now-shelved Gopalpur steel project by the Tata Steel, demanded that the company return their land.

At a press meet organised in the city on Friday representatives of these villages said they would oppose any move by the company to establish a SEZ on the land it had taken over for establishing a steel plant. They are also not satisfied with the recent declaration of the Tata Steel that it would establish a steel galvanisation plant on a portion of land it had acquired for the steel plant. “Unless the company comes up with the project of mega steel plant for which we had been displaced, our irrigated agricultural land should be returned to us,” they said.

They also criticised the State Government for handing over around 300 acres of extra land in Ganjam district to the company in 2007.

“The MOU signed between the Orissa Government and Tata Steel in 1995 for the establishment of a mega steel plant near Gopalpur had no existence in 2007. Yet the State Industrial Development Corporation (IDCO) handed over 300 acres of extra land to the company last year although the company was not going to establish its promised project in the district,” said Rajendra Sahu of Luhajhari village.

Around 1500 families had been displaced for the dream project of the Tata Steel that never came up in Ganjam district. Highly fertile irrigated land had been acquired by the company for its shelved project. But since more than a decade this fertile land is left barren. The Tatas were provided 3,088 acres of land near Gopalpur in Ganjam district in the mid 1990s. The land acquired by the company included 2,295.95 acres of private land and 792.65 acres of government land. The company has only set up a technical training centre over 10.2 acres of land. The rest land it had acquired for setting up of the steel plant is lying vacant since 1997.

Ramesh Mahakuda of Badapur alleged that till now the company has employed only 29 youths from displaced families. Umashankar Sahu of Sindhigaon said the proposed galvanisation plant to be established at a cost 250 crore rupees would not bring in any change in their lives as it would have little employment scope.

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