A village under siege puts NTPC project in limbo

Dadikala — a small hamlet just a couple of kilometres from Barkagaon, 30 km from Hazaribagh town — seems to be under siege.

The road to the village is heavily fortified and no one is being allowed there after four villagers were killed in police firing on Saturday. Everyone on this road is being photographed and vehicle registration numbers noted. The picturesque town of Barkagaon, too, has become a fortress after the incident. Rapid Action Force and armed policemen in full riot gear are stationed at every corner. The fear of police reprisal seems apparent, as all those Business Standard spoke to refused to be photographed.

Dadikala came under the limelight after Pawan Kumar (16), Abhishek Rai (18), Ranjan Rai (18) and Mohammad Mehtab Alam (29) were killed in police firing. The police said they were trying to dispel a mob that had wanted to free Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Barkagaon, Nirmala Devi. She has been leading a protest over compensation being paid to villagers for the land being acquired by NTPC for the Pakri Barwadih coal mining project. Police had taken her into custody for leading an agitation though Section 144 was imposed. Police officers said they were forced to open fire after the mob assaulted them. An additional superintendent of police (operations) and a circle officer were seriously injured in the incident. Their vehicles were also torched.

But the four who died were not part of the mob, allege locals. “They were innocent bystanders,” says Mohammed Rasid, who runs a small shop in Barkagaon. “They were not even part of the mob that had attacked the police team, which had taken Nirmala Devi into custody.”

Sanjay Mehto, a resident of Karanpura, says: “Those who were killed belonged to poor families. Pawan was a meritorious student, whose parents were daily wage earners. Mehtab Alam was a tailor and the sole breadwinner of his family.”

NTPC had started acquiring 8,000 acres across 28 villages for mining in 2006. Protests had started then. At the heart of the agitation was discontent over the Rs 2 lakh an acre compensation then promised by NTPC. In 2010, NTPC agreed to pay Rs 20 lakh an acre, after an agreement with the villagers. But this time around, the villagers started demanding compensation under the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 2013. The latest Act says four times the market value of land must be paid by a public sector utility for land acquisition.

The land being acquired is considered one of the most fertile in Jharkhand. Most people who were set to lose their land are farmers with small holdings. The proposed mine is claimed to be one of the largest coal blocks of Asia.

Surendra Sao, whose land was acquired for the project, says: “NTPC gave us Rs 20 lakh for an acre. That’s very low. According to the Act passed by the central government, we should get at least Rs 35 lakh.” Some are even demanding Rs 70 lakh an acre. Residents say this situation has come about because the district administration had stopped the sale of land in localities close to the mine to anyone except NTPC, according to the legal procedure of land acquisition.

However, administrative officials have another view. “In 2006, when NTPC decided to acquire land, people demanded higher compensation. It was raised to Rs 20 lakh an acre in 2010. However, now they are demanding even more. When we refused, they tried to hold us to ransom. How can this be justified?” asks a senior police officer. Sanjay Kumar, who runs a confectionery shop in Barkagaon market, becomes livid when someone asks him for a solution. “There is a solution to every problem, even Kashmir. However, the authorities don’t want to listen to the people. Everyone is trying to score political gains. This is the third incident of firing over this issue in Barkagaon and half a dozen people have lost their lives. Political parties of every hue and colour have fired upon the people.” Police personnel eating in his shop nod.

The incident has scared away NTPC officials, its contractors and labourers. All of them have left the construction sites and offices in Barkagaon. “Nobody is here, the office is locked,” says Syeed Latif, an assistant sub-inspector at the site office. The six unit office complexes are empty and there are locks on every gate. Repeated calls to NTPC officials went unanswered. The NTPC power plant site is completely vacant. Nearby eateries are empty, its owners unsure of future prospects.

“It is a very big incident,” says Sunder Soni, owner of four eateries situated nearby. “There used to be more than 100 labourers working round the clock here. However, all of them left in a hurry on Saturday. It will be awhile before they return. The situation is very tense.”

However, police officers say the situation is under control and there is nothing to be worried about. “Everything is fine here, there is no need to be worried,” Barkagaon police station chief Vinay Kumar Gupta says with confidence. But the assertion in his voice fades when he is asked the route to Dadikala.

Rajendra Mehto, a resident, asks: “Why don’t you ask the deputy commissioner whether NTPC has taken the approval of 70 per cent of the Gram Sabha members?” Under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, an entity has to get 70 per cent of the Gram Sabha members concerned to approve the acquisition of forest land. The incident happened at a time when Chief Minister Raghubar Das and his high-powered team is hard-selling the state to prospective domestic and foreign investors. Das, who reached Ranchi on Sunday from the US, ordered a high-level probe into the matter. “We are trying to find who was behind the incident.  Justice will be done after a proper probe,” Chief Secretary Raj Bala Verma had told the media.

Police have lodged a First Information Report against the Barkagaon MLA, her husband Yogendra Sao, a former agriculture minister, 35 named and 100 unnamed persons for the violence and attacks. Sao was earlier ousted from the district for disturbing the law and order situation. However, the ouster order was later cancelled by a district court earlier this year. Many villagers agree Sao is a discredited politician. But for the land-losers, he is their only leader. “He was branded a criminal as part of a conspiracy. He is the only person fighting for us. It was Sao who forced NTPC to increase compensation from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 20 lakh an acre. He was in jail when his wife fought the election and won by a huge margin. He has public support. Why don’t you question NTPC and the company’s agent and their goons?” asks one Mansoor Alam.