The proposed industrial park of Tata Steel at Gopalpur in Ganjam district showing no sign of progress, ruling party MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy has urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to review the matter.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Panigrahy said there was huge resentment among the displaced families over compensation and employment as promised by Tata Steel.
The displaced families have been demanding compensation as per the 2006 Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy and employment. They have become restive as their demands were not met.
Possibility of law and order situation getting worse may not be ruled out if their demands were ignored any more, Panigrahi cautioned the Chief Minister.
Expressing concern over the miserable condition of the displaced people, the BJD MLA said they were rehabilitated at Luhajhar but without jobs. The displaced families were promised employment by Tata Steel.
Since the proposed steel project did not materialise, the displaced families are living in mental agony and financial crisis.
Panigrahy requested the Chief Minister to sort out the problem of the displaced families by paying them compensation as per the 2006 R&R policy and direct the company to set up an industrial park in the land acquired for the steel project.
The State Government asked Tata Steel in June to submit a detailed implementation plan with specific timeframe for the development of the proposed industrial park at Gopalpur.
The Centre had already granted in-principle approval for a multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) at Gopalpur and Tata Steel as an anchor tenant is planning to develop an industrial park.
Progress revived
Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik reviewed the progress of the proposed industrial park at a meeting here recently.
The meeting was then informed that the feasibility study and design plan of the SEZ had been completed by Ernst & Young.
The technical feasibility report has been prepared by Jurong International, Singapore.
Preparation of the master plan and infrastructure development plan for the SEZ are almost finalised.
The issue was also discussed during the June visit of chairman-designate of the Tata Group and Deputy Chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus P Mistry to the State.