| Land-losers in Puroshottampur, one of the three ‘mouzas’ required for the modernisation and expansion of IISCO steel plant, staged violent protests today to disrupt work at the project site.
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| Repeated clashes between the villagers and police throughout the day left at least 12 people injured.
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| According to sources, IISCO officials’ talks with the villagers failed on Saturday, as their demand for job guarantee was turned down. The main demands of the land-losers are compensation equivalent to that given in Singur and job for at least one member of the land-loser’s family. However, Nilotpal Roy, managing director, IISCO Steel Plant, said, “We have taken a firm stand and we are not going to give them jobs. The land is in our possession since 1989.”
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| The 305 acres of non-agricultural land required for the project involves three mouzas — Purshottampur, Nagrasoda, Hirapur — and IISCO has already made full payment of Rs 39 crore to the state government for the land.
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| While the Nagrasoda and Hirapur land-losers have accepted cheques, villagers of Purshottampur refused. Purshottampur is located about 200 km from Kolkata. So far, the agitation appears to be apolitical.
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| Roy said, “We are hopeful that the problem would be resolved with the steps being taken by the district administration.”
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| Additional police force has been deployed at the project site.
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| The villagers had moved the Calcutta High Court in January for a stay order but did not get a favourable order. Roy said the villagers had also moved the division bench but that did not yield any favourable result either. The land would be utilised for IISCO’s Rs 9,500 crore expansion, for which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone last year. |
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