ROURKELA: Alleging that the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) is not settling Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) claims as per the direction of the Supreme Court (SC) and guidelines, project-affected families in Hemgir block of Sundargarh district on Monday staged a protest demonstration.
Ignoring the district administration’s request, the agitators under the banner of MCL Basundhara and Mahalaxmi Bisthapith Adhikar Suraksha Manch (MCLBMBASM) held the protest in front of MCL’s Basundhara coal mining project office over seven point charter of demands.
They demanded that till the R&R claims get settled as per the direction of the SC-appointed Claim Commission, MCL should refrain from launching new mine or expanding existing mines, issuance of displacement certificate to all affected persons of 14 villages, certify finalisation of R&R site and provide 10 decimals land with records to each family for construction of houses.
They further demanded not to allow transportation of coal from MCL mines through villages without environment clearance, stop filing petitions to delay the case in SC and stop harassing them. Besides, no project-affected person should be displaced or any village vacated till final disbursement of all R&R benefits, they said. As houses close to the Kulda and Garjanbahal coal mines have developed severe cracks and damages with blasting, the MCL should immediately stop mine blasting, set aside 10 per cent profit of its local mines to take up periphery development in consultation with the affected persons and provide preferential employment to them, the demands included.
Sundargarh ADM (Revenue) Abhimanyu Behera with prolonged persuasion impressed upon the agitators to call off the stir. San Ghumra Sarpanch Rebati Chhatria said the ADM agreed to give written assurance to address those demands that come within the jurisdiction of the administration.
Among others, Hemgir panchayat samiti chairman Premanand Sa, Hemgir-A Zilla Parishad member Udit Seth and sarpanchs of San Ghumra, Tumulia and Balinga panchayats and MCLBMBASM president Rajendra Naik participated.
Naik claimed on September 14 affected persons from 14 villages had given a memorandum to the MCL authorities. “The MCL kept quiet and on short notice held a meeting on October 8 which failed to address their grievance forcing to hold agitation on Monday,” Naik added.
Protestors demand