Nalco displacees face-off with police, 50 arrested in Odisha

JEYPORE: Tension erupted in Damanjodi after people displaced by Nalco’s refinery plant project engaged in a tussle with police on Saturday. At least 50 persons were arrested after the agitators pelted stones at security personnel who resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charge.

The land displaced persons of Aanlabadi Colony have been on stir for past four days by blocking the mines road to Panchpatmali. The agitators are demanding permanent jobs by Nalco to second generation of the displaced families.

The Navaratna PSU had acquired land in Damanjodi three decade back for the refinery plant and families who were displaced had been given compensation, including jobs by the aluminium major. The agitation by the land displaced persons has badly impacted Nalco operations as movement of ore has been hit leading to production loss of over 25,000 tonne bauxite per day. 

The Nalco authorities and land displaced persons had a round of meeting on Friday which was unsuccessful.

On Saturday morning, police tried to clear the road which was resisted by locals as well as the agitators. The Aanlabadi Colony, where the displacees live, is located on the road from Damanjodi to the mines. The angry mob pelted stones on police personnel and vehicles.

Even, they chased down the cops for some time. Later, additional police force rushed to the spot and resorted to lathi charge and tear gas at the angry mob. In the tussle, some police men and locals suffered injuries.  Senior police and revenue officials rushed to the spot and clamped Section 144 of CrPC in Aanlabadi Colony area to mining area to avert further tension. 

Nalco sources said, talks are on between leaders of land displaced persons and senior officials to defuse the tension. Following the incident, entry-exit points of Damanjodi were sealed by police and over six platoon forces were deployed.

When the refinery plant at Damanjodi was established, there was only one group of displacees which was designated as land displaced persons (LDPs) who had given up their land and homes for the project in exchange of which they received compensation and jobs in the PSU.

That was based on the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy.  Years later, Nalco’s Angul complex came up. In 2014, the project impacted designated as substantially affected persons (SAPs) who had lost only their land were given compensation basing on the revised rehabilitation and resettlement policy.

This led to the demand by LDPs for jobs to second generation family members. Koraput Collector Md Abdaal Akhtar said Section 144 of CrPC had to be imposed in the area to prevent the situation from spiralling out of control. He said the district administration is trying to find an amicable solution to the issue.