Angul drafts new rehab plan

The sub-committee of the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) of Angul district has gone beyond the provisions of state resettlement and rehabilitation (R & R) policy, 2006, to offer adequate financial compensation to those families uprooted by an industrial project who are unwilling to accept prescribed 10 decimals of land in the rehabilitation colony.

In its recent meeting held here, the sub-committee under the chairmanship of district collector Girish. S.N, decided to offer double the price of the 10 decimals of homestead land provided to a displaced family if it refuses to avail the facility.

The state policy says that in such cases the displaced family would get Rs 56,000 only.

But if the recent decision of the RPDAC comes into force, a displaced family can hope to get about Rs 1.5 lakh against 10 decimals of homestead land entitled to it.

In another decision, the sub- committee asked the industries coming up under its jurisdiction to provide all the amenities in the rehabilitation colony like sewerage, electricity, water supply and sanitation.

The RPDAC also offered Rs 5000 towards transportation cost to each of the displaced families to move their household things to the rehabilitation colony while the state policy fixes such charges at Rs 2,500.

The RPDAC has also suggested Rs 5000 one time maintenance allowance to each displaced family and Rs 25000 for the construction of cow shed which were absent in the state R & R policy.

The committee offered an incentive of Rs 25,000 to each family which vacated the house within one month notice period.

The committee decisions are applicable to all the industrial houses in the Angul district, including central public sectors like NTPC, MCL and Nalco operating under its jurisdiction, said the sources.

The representatives of Jindal Power and Steel limited, Monnet Ispat,Kalinga Coal Mines Private Limited, Utkal Coal, and Mahanadi Aban besides the public sector undertaking representatives attended the meeting.

Public representatives like Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly from the district were also present.