ROURKELA: A section of tribal community is up in arms against the construction of a fourth railway line between Rourkela and Bondamunda by South Eastern Railway (SER) contesting land ownership issue and demanding proper dispute resolution before any work proceeds.
The protesters contended that the Odisha government has not yet legally transferred land to SER, and yet, the railway has commenced construction without the necessary approvals. On Monday, the protestors, led by former MLA of Birmitrapur, George Tirkey and leader of the Bondamunda Railway Kriyanusthan Committee (BRKC), Maheswar Tanti submitted a memorandum to Panposh sub-collector Bijay Nayak.
Tirkey argued that decades ago, the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) had acquired substantial land from tribal villagers under the old Land Acquisition Act of 1894. SAIL later returned surplus land to the state government, which retained the land instead of returning it to the original tribal landowners. “The state government must adhere to established guidelines and resolve the long-standing disputes of the displaced people before allowing the project to proceed. If needed, we would fully disrupt the Howrah-Mumbai main line of SER via Rourkela,” the protesters threatened.
Tanti alleged that SER had no legal land records yet initiated work by force on different sections. He claimed that the rail line project had been initiated recently, even though the land dispute is under judicial consideration, and petitions from aggrieved tribal villagers are pending with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
Sub-collector Nayak, however, was not available for comment. SER sources stated that the fourth line between Rourkela and Bondamunda, spanning approximately 10 kilometers, would alleviate route congestion through Rourkela.
Meanwhile, during the 103rd meeting of the Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) in September, SER general manager Anil Kumar Mishra rejected several demands of the public, including the rerouting of the Orissa Sampark Kranti Express and the introduction of new train services, citing terminal constraints at Rourkela. Other requests for the extension of existing train routes were also disregarded due to route and terminal limitations.
TRACING REASONS OF TRIBALS’ UNREST
Land ownership issue
Dispute resolution before any SER work proceeds
SAIL had acquired substantial land from tribal villagers under the old Land Acquisition Act of 1894
SAIL later returned surplus land to the state government
But government did not return it to tribals