BHUBANESWAR: A district-level coordination meeting was held at Jagatsinghpur collectorate for fast tracking JSW Integrated Steel Plant at Paradip. The event provided much-awaited opportunity post pandemic for interaction among all parties involved, especially for local people in project area to voice their issues and get firsthand information from project authorities.
JSW officials outlined operations in Odisha and the CSR proposal for the project site, which was followed by the discussion on issues related to compensation for betel vines, prawn cultivators, fishermen and forest committee. The revised compensation rates were discussed by PRI representatives and negotiated by all involved. Subsequently, it was agreed that the discussions would cascade at village level for a broader acceptance.
Among the primary issues discussed were revised compensation rates for betel vine owners and labour, skilling and employment opportunities for youth in the region. Seeking cooperation from the locals, JSW COO Ranjan Nayak said the forum paved way for project grounding in the coming month. “Our objective is to ground the project within the stipulated time frame for maximum benefit of the people in the region,” he said.
The meeting convened by Jagatsinghpur Collector Parul Patawari was attended by local MLA and Minister for Irrigation and I & PR Raghunandan Das, MP Rajashri Mallick, SP Akhilesvar Singh and over 60 PRI and PS representatives from the project villages including Dhinkia, Gadakujang, Nuagaon, Govindpur and Mahalo.
Revised compensation proposed
Rs 17.50 lakh to betel vine owner per acre lost, Rs 44,000 one-time lump-sum to each family dependent on betel vine
Differential betel vine compensation for those who received Rs 11.5 lakh per acre earlier
Rs 2.5 lakh per acre of prawn cultivation lost to committee account
Rs 40,000 one-time lump-sum to each family under forest protection committee in project area