Agitation against Essar Steel project

The United Action Committee for Essar Steel project, comprising hundreds of local families to be displaced by the project, has launched an agitation by locking the company’s main gate at Paradip for the past two days.

The committee has demanded that the company should meet its seven point charter of demands or face protest.

Kumermani Meher, assistant superintendent of police of Paradip and Sanjeeb Mishra, additional district magistrate of Paradip rushed to the spot and gave assurance to fulfill their demands after which the agitators called off their stir.

Essar Steel Orissa Limited proposed to set up a six million tonne per annum integrated steel plant in Paradip at an investment of Rs 10,721 crore. The company has identified 1,925 acres of land out of which 1,663 acres are private with the remaining 262 acres being government land.

The project is set to displace 592 families and also 909 sub families from Nuagarh, Paradipgarh, Udayabata, Bijyachandpur, Pipala, Baldia and Chakradharpur.

The displaced families have been demanding compensation of Rs 25 per acres of private land but the company has agreed to give only Rs 12-17 lakh per acre. They also demanded employment opportunity and construction of rehabilitation colonies for displaced families, peripheral development measures and steps to check environmental pollution, provision of ITI training to the educated boys and girls of displaced families, health services and employment to local labourers in the construction work.

Company sources said that said Essar Steel will be providing at least one tenth of an acre of free land for 909 sub families for homestead purpose. Besides, Rs 2,000 will also be given to each of these families as maintenance allowance.

About 360 families have opted to stay in new rehabilitation colony being planned by the company and 39 acres of land have been identified at Nuagarh village for the prupose. Essar Steel will invest Rs 125 crore on rehabilitation assistance package for its displaced families in Paradip and will make all efforts to provide employment opportunities, check environmental pollution and to allocate the funds for peripheral developmental activities in the Paradip region.