PARADIP: Displaced villagers of Udayabat in Paradip staged a demonstration protesting the construction of a boundary wall at the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel Limited project site on Thursday. Alleging apathy of both the administration and the steel giant in fulfilling their demands including employment and rehabilitation of displaced families as per the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Policy, 2007, the agitators stopped the construction work.
Terming the construction as illegal, villagers said they feel betrayed. “The company officials had made tall promises to us regarding employment and rehabilitation but none has been fulfilled yet. We will intensify the stir if our demands are not met,” said villagers of Udayabat Prabhakar Choudhury and Sushant Pattnaik. Later, they called off the dharna following police intervention.
Though a senior officer of the company was contacted, he declined to comment on the issue. In 2008, Essar Steel India Limited (ESIL) had acquired land to set up its steel plant in Paradip. After more than a decade of inactivity at the project site, Essar sold its stressed assets to ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel Ltd in 2019, which plans to set up a six-million tonne per annum (MTPA) pellet plant at the proposed site.