ROURKELA: Efforts of the Sundargarh district administration to hold a public hearing for land acquisition for mining expansion of Shiva Cement Ltd (SCL), a unit of the JSW Cement, in Kutra block proved futile due to stiff resistance by locals.
The public hearing on Draft social impact assessment for acquiring 248.88 acre land at Khatkurbahal and Phalsakani villages of Khatkurbahal panchayat was scheduled on Jagannath temple ground. However, around 2,000 villagers led by Rajangpur MLA CS Rajen Ekka and former BJD minister Mangla Kishan staged protest preventing entry of the administrative team to the venue.
Sources said amid heavy deployment of police personnel, four roads leading to the venue were blocked with trees. Khatkurbahal sarpanch Jhadi Dhanwar said, “Villagers have been fiercely opposing acquisition of their ancestral land and they are also peeved that no gram sabha approval was taken for the purpose,” he said.
The public hearing was meant to invite objection and suggestion for necessary addition, deletion and alteration to ensure necessary changes in the final report before publication, said Sundargarh ADM Abhimanyu Behera.