ANGUL:The sub-committee formed after the recent Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meet to amicably settle the ex gratia for land acquired for expansion of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL), is likely to meet on June 17.
The steel plant project of JSPL ran into land hurdle after people of six villages under the banner of Birankeswara Shilpanchal Kshyatigrasta Prajasangha demanded raise in compensation amount for the land.
The sub-committee meet is the final opportunity to settle the ex gratia mutually acceptable to the project affected families and the company. JSPL now critically depends on physical possession of 1800 acres of acquired land to start its expansion work and construction of ash dyke.
JSPL has built a two-MTPA steel plant and 810-MW captive power plant as part of its six-MTPA integrated steel project at an investment of Rs 24,000 crore. For construction of the remaining facilities, the company needs 1800 acres of land.
Though IDCO has already acquired land after paying compensation to the land losers and later legally handed it over to the company, the villagers have been obstructing the project for nearly five years for higher compensation.
Company sources said without this land, the company may not be able to construct its ash dyke for its improved capacity. The company may attract penal measures from the Government and may have to reduce its present scale of operation, if the ash dyke is not constructed in time, they added.
The plant’s operational efficiency, employment scale and the periphery development depend on this land, said a senior officer of JSPL, Angul facility.
During the recent meeting, RPDAC had directed for formation of a sub-committee headed by Collector with local MP and MLA as its members. They would meet the villagers on June 17 to amicably settle the land issue for peaceful project execution.
