Chhattisgarh Govt endorses NMDC compensation plan

The country largest iron-ore producer and exporter is setting up a 3 MTPA capacity greenfield Integrated Steel Plant in Nagarnar as part of its expansion, value addition and forward integration programme

Chhattisgarh Government had said that the steps taken by the state-run National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) to compensate the villagers for its Nagarnaar project was moving on right track.

Country largest iron-ore producer and exporter, is setting up a 3 MTPA capacity greenfield Integrated Steel Plant in Nagarnar as part of its expansion, value addition and forward integration programme. The project coming up some 16 kms from Jagdalpur would be set up with an estimated outlay of Rs 15,525 crore.

The company had acquired 999.50 acres of land in 2001 and 2007 from 307 villagers in the first phase of acquisition. Later in 2010, it acquired additional 954 acres from 838 families for the project. "The NMDC management has failed to keep its promises made to the villagers who have given land for the project in the second phase," ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Bastar Santosh Bafna raised the issue in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly today. The villagers had launched agitation but the NMDC management did not respond, he said, adding that the company was not giving employment as part of the rehabilitation plan.

State's revenue minister Prem Prakash Pandey refuted the charges and said: "The NMDC management under the direction from the state government had been taking necessary steps for the rehabilitation of the Nagarnaar project affected people". He added that there was no such situation of unrest among the people.

The minister informed that in the second phase, 838 families were affected while the NMDC management had given employment to 295 people. It had been giving monthly subsistence allowance to 507 nominated people. The remaining nominees are minor and the allowance would be granted once they attained the age of major, Pandey said.