BERHAMPUR: Tension prevails in Aryapalli village following a complaint lodged by Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM) against the residents for allegedly obstructing dredging operation in the area.
OSCOM, a unit of Indian Rare Earths Limited, under Department of Atomic Energy, was established in the 1980s at Matikhola near Chhatrapur in Ganjam district. OSCOM is engaged in mining heavy minerals like ilmenite, rutile, zircom, silimanite, garnet and monazite from the beach sand. The minerals are much in demand and are used in manufacturing white pigment, ceramics, polishing glass and TTV tubes.
The residents had demanded employment in OSCOM when the unit started functioning. Later, OSCOM procured land in lieu of employment to the local youths. However, the locals’ demands allegedly went unheeded. The villagers, on September 18, obstructed OSCOM’s dredging operation in the northern side of Aryapalli, protesting the callous attitude of the firm’s authorities. The locals staged road blockade and despite the intervention of revenue officials and district administration, continued their agitation.
This prompted OSCOM authorities to lodge a complaint with the Marine police station against the agitators following which a case was registered against 12 villagers. The complaint stated that the locals entered OSCOM’s restricted area and obstructed the dredging work. The firm, in a prayer, at Chhatrapur sub-judge court appealed to restrict the entry of outsiders to its area of operation. Accepting the appeal, the court issued notices to 12 persons and has directed them to appear before it on Monday along with record of rights documents over the dredging area. Meanwhile, some locals, including K Dasarathi, P Rambabu, N Dinabandhu and G Erreyya have threatened to intensify the agitation if any agitator is arrested by the police.
With the agitation entering its fifth day on Saturday, work at OSCOM remains hampered. No comments could be obtained from the firm’s officials despite repeated attempts. On the other hand, Marine police station IIC Baidehi Behera said nobody will be allowed to take law into their hands.