ROURKELA: While several employees of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) continue to complain about not getting suitable residential space, around 2,400 quarters of different categories under the Rourkela Industrial Township (RIT) of the steel city are reportedly lying unutilised for years. The stakeholders including retired employees complained that the RSP creating artificial housing crisis for them since it was neither leasing out nor selling landed properties for long term use.
Sources said the RSP has exclusive territorial jurisdiction over the RIT. While the city as a whole is facing acute housing crisis, the RMC is grappling with shortage of vacant government land. On the other hand, the RIT has vast unused land and any land use entirely lies on the discretion of the RSP.
RSP Executives’ Association (RSPEA) president Abakash Mallick had sent a letter to the RSP management on May 31 stating about the growing resentment among the employees for not getting quarters, especially large quarters, as per their eligibility.
He demanded total restriction on allotment of quarters to non-RSP stakeholders. Mallick stated 422 senior executives are waiting for three-bedroom (BR) bungalows, while around 800 executives and 7,000 other employees are in the waiting list for two BR quarters for long.
According to information, the RIT spread over about 6,500 acre has 24,500 staff quarters, 5,675 shops, 350 km of paved road network, 500 km of water supply lines and 1,812 km of power transmission lines and other structural assets. Around 2,400 quarters of different categories are lying vacant for various reasons, including abandonment over safety concerns.
Former RSPEA president Bimal Bisi said a large section of the retired and existing employees wishing to stay at Rourkela forever have no place to settle.
He said with no housing projects coming up under the RMC, the SAIL should allow quarters and land at RIT to desiring retired and existing employees either on long-term lease or sale basis and end the artificial housing crisis.