Bhubaneswar: BJP member Mohan Charan Majhi Friday urged Assembly Speaker S N Patro to direct the government to initiate steps to pay compensation to the people whose land has been acquired by Essar Steel for establishing a beneficiation plant.
Raising the issue during zero hour, Majhi said around 300 people of Purunapani and its adjacent villages are sitting on a hunger strike in front of the Champua sub divisional office since June 17 last demanding compensation as per the 2006 resettlement and rehabilitation policy.
He said they were also demanding employment, peripheral development and medical facilities by the company.
Essar Steel, Majhi said, has set up a 12 million ton beneficiation plant at a cost of Rs 40,000 crore but it has not given employment to the land oustees and has not taken any developmental work in the area so far.
He said, there is no road, school and hospital in the area. The district administration and the police are threatening the agitators to take serious action against them if they did not withdraw the agitation.
Majhi urged the Speaker to direct the Revenue and Industry departments to ensure that the people get the benefits otherwise Kalinganagar like situation would arise in the area.
The Speaker directed the Industry Minister to take note of it.
