UAIL land losers' demand rejected

The Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) of Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL) has turned down the demand of the land losers of the project for higher compensation.

UAIL, a Aditya Birla Group (ABG) company, is setting up a Rs 5000-crore aluminum project near Kasipur in Orissa’s Rayagada district. Though the company had acquired the land for the project in 90s, the land losers are frequently stalling the work demanding higher compensation now.

The affected persons demanded compensation of Rs 3.44 lakh per acre even as the company has offered to pay Rs 1 lakh per acre.

“The land price has already been decided at the government level and it is not in our purview’ said Chandra Sekhar Kumar, the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Southern Division), who is also the chairman of the RPDAC.

 

Besides higher compensation, the project affected people have demanded job security and peripheral development of the area. About 2300 acres were acquired by the company to set up of 1.5 million tonne alumina refinery, affecting 108 villages in three blocks.

Meanwhile, the company authorities turned down the demands of villagers of D.Korala and Jaudi for according them displaced persons status. The RDC, however, asked the company authorities to look into their grievances and sort out the matter within a week.  Sources said 187 families of three villages were displaced for the project.

The RPDAC asked the company management to prepare a roadmap for development of the peripheral area within four months. “We have asked them to prepare a roadmap on development of the area along with the job prospects for the local affected families”, RDC said. 

The chief of the project SK Mishra said, the company has already spent Rs 13-crore on peripheral development in 24 villages affected by the project. The company is going to start an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Kasipur in collaboration with the MITS group of engineering colleges.

Similarly the company has spent around Rs 1.50 crore for setting up of an English Medium School at Doraguda in the plant site. The company also plans to set up a 50-beded hospital at Tikiri, near Kasipur.

“We hope the people of the area will cooperate to complete the work in scheduled time”, Mishra added. The company has already spent over Rs 1520 crore on the project and placed orders for procurement of machines. The company targets to start production from the plant in July, 2011.