Jajpur: Land acquisition for industrial units in Kalinganagar industrial complex in Jajpur district started in 1990s. Sources said lots of irregularities were committed in the land acquisition process. Land owners were at a loss as the government allegedly made undervaluation of their lands that were acquired for the companies.
The government had acquired more than 9,000 acres through IDCO from the farmers in Kalinganagar for industrialization. At that time it set Rs 1,57,000 per acre of farmland (sarad-2) and Rs1 lakh per acre for waste land. Farmers alleged that estimated price of their land is much lower than the market price.
Land losers had been protesting from time to time demanding additional compensations from the companies. The companies forgot their duties after giving Rs1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh additional compensation per acre.
As per government rules, farmers of other industrial areas in the state get Rs 10,82,000 per acre of land. But in the case of Kalinganagar, the government has been adopting a dilly-dallying attitude, farmers said.
While acquiring land at Kalinganagar, the state government had sanctioned Rs 52, 000 as compensation per each displaced farmer. After the revised Act of Orissa Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy – 2006-07, the state government sanctioned an extra 48,000 compensation for the land losers. Thus each land loser got Rs1 lakh compensation from the state government for every acre.
However, activists of the Nilachal Basachyuta Committee have been demanding additional Rs 4 lakh compensation money for one acre of land.
Besides the compensations, the activist are demanding jobs and Rs 5 lakh compensation money under 1894 Land Acquisition Act for land encroached for more than 20 years by the industries.
Although they have been demanding compensation and jobs for long, no government officials have paid attention to their plight.
Emami acquired 66.25 acres at Mantira and Manoharpur villages for establishment of a cement plant. The land acquisition rendered over 100 families homeless while kin of 80 families are eagerly waiting for employment in the cement plant.
Companies like Tata Steel, Mesco Steel, Jindal Steel and Maithan Steel have allegedly encroached upon the land of poor farmers. Locals said only politicians, middlemen and influential people have got the benefits of industrialization. They have sold the lands to industries at sky-high rates while they purchased them from poor farmers at throwaway prices.
When asked, Kalinganagar Additional Collector Santosh Kumar Mishra said, the administration will take adequate steps in keeping with the resettlement and rehabilitation policy-2016.
PNN
