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| Land losers' stir leaves PPL employees high and dry |
| BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar Nov 14, 2009, 00:48 IST |
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The indefinite strike by the people who lost their land to Paradeep Phosphates Ltd (PPL) for the past three days has not paralyzed the despatch of fertilizers from company’s unit at Paradeep.
The strike has also left 6,000 people, which included the PPL employees and their families, staying in the plant complex high and dry as essential supplies like milk, ration and other commodities have been completely cut off.
Sources said, thousands of land losers under the banner of Paradip Regional Farmers Welfare Committee led by local MP, Bibhu Prasad Tarai have been on a mass dharna for the past three days by closing the main gate of the PPL. As a result, the PPL employees working in the plant and their families staying in the company quarters in the complex have been trapped inside.
The strike has been launched to press for fulfillment of 14-point charter of demands which mostly pertained to land compensation, employment and provision of other basic facilities by PPL.
The PPL employees are in a quandary as they are unable to send their children to schools and colleges or even purchase the essential household commodities.
Pitamber Tarai, spokesperson of Paradip Regional Farmers Welfare Committee, threatened to intensify the stir until their demands are fulfilled by the PPL authorities.
He said, the Orissa High Court had given a directive to the PPL authorities and the government to give Rs 14 core to the land losers towards compensation, but it has not been honoured.
Ranjan Basu, vice president (operations) PPL said, “The compensation amount which was fixed by the government during establishment of this plant was deposited in the government treasury for disbursal among the land losers. Only a few land losers had been deprived of the actual compensation. So, PPL had sought the district administration’s intervention to disburse the unpaid compensation as per the court directive”.
PPL had acquired 1509 acres of land from these land losers in 1982. Many farmers who got less amount in lieu of their lands had filed a writ petition in the Orissa High Court and the court had directed the PPL authorities and the government to give Rs 14 crore more to the land losers.
However, neither PPL not the district administration took any step to redress the grievances of the land losers. Moreover, many land losers were deprived of employment opportunities in PPL's plant which worsened their condition.
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