By SANTOSH MOHANTY
The agony and miseries of displaced families in the highly industrialized district of Angul will not end soon, thanks to the apathetic attitude of the people's representatives and district officials as well.
The most recent development indicated how the aggrieved families vented their anger in the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee(RPDAC) meet convened by the district administration to discuss about compensation to the oustees of Utkal D and E coal mines. The displaced families present in the RPDAC meet demanded employment opportunities along with monetary compensation for their loss of home and hearth. However, the sources said, the coal mining agencies did not agree to provide jobs to the ousted families as demanded. The mining officials, it was learnt, agreed only to pay monetary compensation to the families.
As the mining agencies were adamant all through the discussion, the displaced families had no option than to stomp out of the conference hall where the meeting was held being attended by top officials from Angul district administration including District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain, RDC Suresh Chandra Dalei, SP Jagmohan Meena, Sub-Collector Baitura Deep and top Nalco officials and people's representatives. Reports said as the aggrieved persons vehemently demanded one job per family. But, the unyielding mining agencies adroitly wound up RPDAC meet fearing that unruly incidences might take place as the situation was highly charged.
Reports said the oustees demanded that at least one member of their family must get a job along with Rs 50 lakh as compensation per acre of land. Sources said that while the displaced persons were adamant on their demand, the officials tried to dodge discussion on the topic. The mining agencies agreed for pecuniary compensation to the oustees, but not the amount demanded by them per acre, sources added.
It is worthwhile to mention here that till date displaced persons of Rengali hydel project, Samal barrage, NTPC and a number of coalmine projects in Angul district have not been compensated neither with jobs nor money even after decades.
Sources said early solution to the problem of oustees' issue due to mining and other industries could not be found as neither the district administration nor people's representatives allegedly lack the will to understand the miseries of the concerned families and act accordingly. There are allegations that RPDAC meetings were never held regularly. Irregular meetings between the oustees and the officials have become a major impediment in the way of finding out an early solution to the nagging issue, sources reasoned.
The local media, both print and electronic, have been covering protests of the displaced families almost on a daily basis, yet the administration is yet to wake from its slumber. Therefore, one can gauge how acute is the displacement issue in Angul district. The upcoming coal mining projects in Chhendipada in Angul district will, in all probability, further escalate the situation as the industries have resorted to hoodwinking people after usurping their home and hearth, sources said.
