NALCO Victims of Odisha call on P&NG Minister, demand Justice

The Land Affected (Substantial Affected) Person’s Association, Damanjodi of Koraput District met the Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Hon’ble Dharmnendra Pradhan on 11.03.2016 at his New Delhi residence for their long standing demands and rights.

The team was led by Social Activist and Ph.D Scholar Mr. Sanakr Prasad Duria and appraised the Union Minister about the pitiable conditions of the land losers under the NALCO Project at Damanjodi.

Way back in 1981 when the NALCO Project was started as the public sector undertaking of central government for Aluminum production in this rich mineral research area, about 1600 households have lost their land and displaced. Out of 1600 only 600 households have been given proper compensation and rehabilitation in the last 35 years. Rest 1000 families have been struggling for their livelihood and still waiting for their genuine rights.

The indifferent and inhuman attitude of the NALCO authority towards the land losers compels for large scale unemployment, poverty and starvation death in this area. Meanwhile around 200 bread earners of the families are already died. In this type of environment the land losers are passing through distressed and demoralized and waited for long 35 years for their justice in the form of employment and rehabilitation. Even though the District Administration & NALCO authority identified 416 families and promised to provide employment and proper rehabilitation to only 235 families.

In this connection the Land Affected (Substantial Affected) Person’s Association repeatedly met the NALCO authority but that went in vein. Finally, they urged the Union Minister to get their justified rights.  In reply the Union Minister assured that he has already taken initiative in this regard and personally communicated the matters to Union Minister of Steel and Mines.

The Minister also wrote a letter to the Union Mines Minister to provide employment immediately to the NALCO identified 235 land losers coming under the criteria fixed by the NALCO authority where a person losing one third portion of the total land will get a job as per land losers’ qualification and proper compensation. The strong assurance of the Minister gave one kind of relief to the aggrieved land losers which brought a new hope in their mind. The Land Affected (Substantial Affected) Person’s Association President Bhimadhar Khillo and Kaliram Majhi were also present in the team.