Jajpur/Kalinganagar: The state-owned Nilachal Ispat Nigam Ltd’s (NINL) alleged dilly-dallying in rehabilitation of the families of displaced employees has sparked resentment among the latter, a report said Tuesday.
Observers claimed as per norms the steel firm is required to rehabilitate the kin of the deceased employees as the latter died before their retirement while working in the company.
The deceased employees were given appointment in the steel plant after they lost their home and farm lands for establishment of the steel plant.
The deprived kin met the collector and the ADM in their offices and aired their grievances but their pleas are yet to be addressed. It is alleged that the rehabilitation and peripheral development advisory committee (RPDAC) meetings have become formalities as the proposals moved in its meeting are not taken seriously by the industrial firms and implemented
The matter came to fore after three of the 18 aspirants Benudhar Bindhani, Basu Purty and Turam Purty assisted by a trade union Kalinganagar Shramik Sangha lodged their complaints with the district labour officer.
As a result, the three aspirants after losing their home and lands are now living in hunger in the absence of employment.
The district labour officer admitted their complaint and called a hearing on the issue June 18.
However, it failed to yield any result as the NINL authorities did not turned up at the hearing. The district labour office has fixed the next date of hearing to July 5. This has led to stand off between the kin of the deceased survivors and the steel firm as the latter has warned of an agitation if their demands are not met.
Sources said, the steel plan, a joint venture between Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation (MMTC), state owned Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) and Orissa Mining Corporation was established in 1996 in Kalinganagar.
Over 668 families from Sarangpur and Baragadia mouzas were displaced for establishment of the plant out of which kin of 452 families were given employment.
Among them 40 displaced employees died within five years of receiving employment. There has been a demand to rehabilitate the survivors of the deceased employees since a long period but is yet to be fulfilled.
In a recent meeting, the RPDAC moved a proposal asking the NINL to rehabilitee the survivors of the deceased employees
As a result, the steel firm rehabilitated 16 of them but leaving aside the demand of 18 other survivors. The complainants Benudhar, Basu and Turam were among the left out survivors.
When contacted, Sandip Sethi, public relation officer of NINL said the kin of the deceased displaced employees have earlier given employment while talks are on to give appointment to the rest of the aspirants.
PNN