8 held for demonstrating near coal mines in Talcher

At least eight persons were arrested tpday for demonstrating near coal mines at Talcher area and allegedly affecting mining operation of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), police said.
The arrests were made under Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and provisions of IPC as mining operations were hit, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Talcher, Saroj Rout said.
Several people belonging to Heunsamula village near Bhubaneswari and Ananta coallieries of MCL were protesting for sometime demanding reinstatement of 122 persons who had been given appointment in the company as part of their rehabilitation package to land oustees.
However, as the villagers did not vacate their land even after being provided job, the MCL authorities had recently terminated their service, a company spokesman said.

Demanding immediate reinstatement of all the persons to their job with full salary and rehabilitation particularly in nearby Balandiposi, the villagers had been staging demonstration near the coal mines.
The MCL found their demands unacceptable citing 'no work no pay' norm, he said.

However, in line with the decision taken at the tri-partite meeting held recently under the aegis of district administration, government of Odisha, MCL yesterday offered reinstatement to all 122 project-affected people, terminated from company services in Talcher Coalfields in Angul district, a company statement said.
The company issued individual letters to all the 122 terminated people of Hensmul village in Talcher, but with mining operations continued to be hit in Jagannath Area, the coal crisis deepened, particularly to the power plants in southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, it said.

MCL said 122 villagers refused to vacate their structures in the mining zone close to periphery of projects under operations and resorted to paralyse work at the two projects of one-lakh-tonne-per-day-capacity.
These 122 people in Hensmul village have refused to vacate structures or homestead land occupied by them despite continuous persuasion by the civil administration.