Villagers to launch economic blockade against JSPL

The villagers affected by the six-million tonne steel plant of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) at Nisha, near here, have decided to resort to economic blockade against this under-construction project from July 23 if two of their main demands are not fulfilled by the company management.

The villagers united under the banner of Birankeswar Silpanchal Praja Samiti, took the decision to intensify their stir in a meeting here.

“We have served notices to the district and company authorities on our agitation plan and hold them responsible for pushing us to such a situation,” said Lokanath Pradhan, president of the Samiti.

 

The villagers, belonging to 40 peripheral villages of the project, vowed to block all traffic movements to and from the plant site and stop the construction activities if their demands are not met by July 22.

They mainly demand permanent job to at least one member of each land loser family and Rs 50 lakh per acre compensation for the land acquired by company.

The district collector Sib Prasad Mishra said, he would follow the state government policy on resettlement and rehabilitation and wait for convening of the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee of the project by Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), northern range.

The JSPL Executive Director D K Sarogi said, he was ready to meet all the demands of the villagers permissible under the government policy and appealed people to resolve the issues through discussion with the company management without resorting to agitation.

In February this year, the company incurred a huge loss as its ongoing construction activities were disrupted due to villagers’ stir for more than a month after a clash between the villagers and the company security guard.