Compensation for project oustees in Angul

ANGUL: The much-awaited Rehabilitation and Periphery Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meeting for Manjore Irrigation Project and five other industrial units was held here on Monday.
The meeting announced a compensation of Rs 11 lakh per acre for Tata Sponge Iron Ltd and Nalco coal mine across all categories of land. However, the demand for Rs 13 lakh per acre by the affected villagers for Power Grid Corporation of India couldn't be decided upon in the meeting.
The committee, comprising the district collector, sub-collector, land acquisition officer and the affected people, was formed to examine the compensation package for land-losers. As far as jobs at Nalco are concerned, 98 substantially affected persons (SAP) out of 198 would be given jobs till March 2011, district collector Swamy D V said, adding the rest of the SAPs would get the benefit of cash compensation. On the matter of land compensation for the villagers of Raijharana, the committee decided to call a meeting under the chairmanship of the revenue divisional commissioner soon.
Talking to TNN, the revenue divisional commissioner, Northern Central Range, Pradeepta Kumar Mohapatra, who is in-charge of the Northern Division said, "It was decided in the meeting to impart technical training to 1,200 affected youths on behalf of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) each year. A socio-economic survey will be done in the JSPL-affected villages," he said. A re-survey for the affected persons of Manjore Irrigation Project will be done and, accordingly, compensation and rehabilitation measures would be taken, the RDC added.
The committee reportedly directed the Nalco authorities to take pollution control measures in villages adjacent to the company's smelter plant that were being affected by flurosis. Rajya Sabha member Rudra Narayana Pani, who is also a member of the RPDAC committee, protested at the meeting as there was no decision taken on the 100 low substantially affected persons (LAP), who have been agitating for jobs in the Nalco project for a long time.
The RDC said Nalco had imparted training to these LAP candidates to become self-dependent. As they have lost less than one-third of their total land, they are not eligible to get jobs according to the policy. However, they would get priority in the recruitment process of Nalco, he said.