JSPL displaced families demand land patta at rehab site

The villagers displaced by the six million tonne steel project of Jindal Steel and Power limited (JSPL) near Angul have threatened to resort to agitation unless they are provided land pattas (record of right) at the rehabilitation site immediately.

About 165 families belonging to Basaudevpur, Panpur and Kaliakata villages were shifted and settled in the rehabilitation colony near the plant site at Nisha about a year ago.

“One year has passed, but we have not been provided land pattas at the rehabilitation colony yet, said Sanatan Pattnaik, the secretary of Basudevpur village committee.

“Our repeated appeal to the company and revenue authority has not yielded any result”, he complained and added that the affected villagers had drawn the attention of Pyari Mohan Mahapatra, MP and a senior leader of ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to their plight when he visited the rehabilitation site last year, he added.

According to the displaced villagers, each family was promised patta for ten decimal of land at the rehabilitation colony by the district administration and company officials at the time of their displacement last year.

Sources said, Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa (Orissa), which acquired land for the project, has meanwhile transferred 30 acres of land to the district revenue authority for issue of pattas to the displaced families. However, the district revenue officials are sleeping over the matter.

When contacted JSPL authorities declined to comment on the issue saying they are on the job to expedite issue of pattas to the affected families. A company official pointed out that the project work is affected with the villagers sitting on dharna and agitating almost on a daily basis.Angul district collector, Swamy D.V. said, the process of issuing pattas to the families was under process after the land was transferred to revenue authorities. “Very soon pattas will be distributed”, he