JEYPORE: Villagers affected by the Jeypore-Nabarangpur railway line project on Thursday staged protest demanding fair land compensation from the administration.
The land losers expressed their resentment during the compensation disbursement meeting convened by the Jeypore tehsildar at Dhanpur RI office in Jhilimilguda under Jeypore block of Koraput district.
The affected villagers alleged that the administration has fixed the compensation for irrigated class-I land at Rs 2.20 lakh per acre, far below the prevailing market rate of over Rs 50 lakh per acre. “It is surprising that high-value irrigated land has been priced at such a low rate. We will not accept this compensation,” said Ram Panigrahi, a land loser from Akamba village.
Another affected villager, Prahalad Nayak from Badakaudi, questioned the logic behind the valuation. “If government land cannot be given at such throwaway prices, why is our land valued so low?” he asked.
The agitating villagers demanded revision of the compensation amount based on the current market value of land and employment opportunities for the displaced families.
Jeypore tehsildar Sabyasachi Jena said the valuation was done nearly two years ago based on registered land transaction data. “If land losers are dissatisfied, they may appeal before the district collector for a review,” he said.
The railway line project, aimed at improving connectivity between Jeypore and neighbouring Nabarangpur district, is part of a broader expansion push in Odisha’s rail infrastructure sector. The proposed Jeypore-Nabarangpur line spans around 41 km and is being developed to provide rail connectivity to backward regions.
Sources said the project requires substantial land across Koraput district. So far, the administration has identified 248 hectare of private, government and forest land for the new railway line.