Projects:Odisha orders stringent action against trouble makers

With several projects in railway, national highway, coal, steel and power sectors facing difficulties in implementation in the state, Chief Secretary G C Pati today asked the officials and police to initiate stringent actions against the trouble makers.
The direction was given by the chief secretary while chairing the meeting of the Project Monitoring Group of Cabinet Committee here. The meeting was attended by joint secretary, Cabinet Secretariat Dr VP Joy and other senior officials.
"Around 40 projects were reviewed and the issues raised by project proponents were resolved in the meeting," said an official after the meeting. The meeting felt that certain habitual trouble makers obstruct works under some or other pretext, he said.

Pati directed field level Forest and Revenue officials to take proactive steps for fastening and grounding of investment projects. The project proponents have been asked to take possession of land already handed over so that further encroachment does not take place. They have also been asked to expedite implementation, fulfill rehabilitation commitments and corporate social responsibility obligations.
The Forest and Environment Department has been categorically told to identify 10,000 hectare of degraded forest land and keep these in land bank for compensatory afforestation against the forest diversions done for railway, national highway and coal mine projects, the official said.
Chief Secretary has also directed Forest Department to move to Central government for constitution of regional forest and environment committee for quicker decision on diversion proposals.

Issues relating to forest diversion, alignment of roads, disbursement of compensation, laying of under ground pipe line, felling of trees, social implication studies, DGPS survey, land acquisition, taking possession of the acquired land by the project developers, issue of FRA and others were raised by the project proponents.
The major projects which were discussed in the meeting included Jharsuguda-Barpalli-Sardega Railway line, Jharsuguda-Rengali doubling, Talcher-Bimlagarh new railway line, Angul-Sukhinda new line project, Angul Sambalpur Toll Road project, Cuttack Angul Toll-way Project, Birmitrapur Barkote Highway and Panikholi-Rimoi NH.
The projects of Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL) like Kulda open cast project (OCP) Siarmal OCP, Balaram OCP, Kulda OCP, Lakhanpur OCP, Bhubaneswar OCP, Jagannath OC, Bharatpur OCP, Lingaraj OCP, Hingula OCP, Gopalprasad OCP, Samaleswari OCP, Talabira OCP, Nataraj under ground Mine, Hingula OCP, MJSJ Coal Gopalprasad, Kaniha OCP, Ananta Extn. OCP, Garjanbahal OCP, also figured in the meeting.