ROURKELA: The ongoing protest of the people affected by Jamkani coal mine of Vedanta Ltd for higher compensation received a shot in the arm with BJP’s Sundargarh MP and former union minister Jual Oram extending his support to the agitation on Wednesday.After returning from New Delhi, Jual briefly met the agitators on Tuesday night. The next day, the senior BJP leader announced his support to the displaced persons and joined the agitation from 11 am to 3 pm.
The displaced persons of Vedanta have been staging protest at the Jamkani open cast project in Hemgir block of Sundargarh district since November 5 after the coal mine was inaugurated the same day amid massive police deployment.
Jual said he would meet Odisha Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal on Thursday and submit a memorandum over the plight and demands of the project-affected persons. If needed, he would meet President Droupadi Murmu and apprise her of the injustice meted out to the displaced persons. “The paltry amount given as compensation to the affected people is unacceptable. The state government should address the grievances of the agitators,” he said.
Earlier on November 9, a tripartite meeting involving representatives of the displaced people and Vedanta officials was chaired by Sundargarh collector Parag Harshad Gavali. The district administration rejected the demand for Rs 50 lakh per acre stating that Vedanta has additionally agreed to pay Rs 6 lakh per acre over and above the compensation received by the affected families.
The administration also rejected the demand to stop mining till the settlement of rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) issues. However, it agreed on other issues including employment to eligible persons of displaced families, setting up of a new R&R colony and settlement of genuine claims under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Leader of Jamkani Coal Block Bisthapith Sangh Rajendra Naik alleged that the state government illegally acquired land for the coal block under the old Land Acquisition Act, 1894 ignoring the Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition & Development) Act, 1957 for Bhusan Power and Steel Ltd.
“As the same coal mine has been allotted to Vedanta now, the government should correct its past mistakes and acquire land afresh under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 or in lieu of it, Rs 50 lakh per acre be allowed,” he added.Incidentally, Jual was instrumental in foiling the Khandadhar iron ore mining plan of South Korean steel major POSCO nearly 15 years back.