Villagers protest in Odisha's Sundargarh district, reject Dalmia Cement Bharat's R&R package

ROURKELA: Refusing to part with their ancestral land for expansion of the Lanjiberna mines of Dalmia Cement Bharat Ltd (formerly OCL India Ltd) the affected tribal villagers in Rajgangpur block of Sundargarh district on Friday rejected the proposed R&R package. 

As part of the phase-wise land acquisition process the administration was scheduled to hold public hearing on R&R proposals at Jalodihi village of Kukuda Gram Panchayat (GP) and Rengerbal village of Alanda GP. But the administrative team was restricted by protestors from reaching the venues.  

However, the administration led by Sundargarh Sub-Collector and administrator for R&R Abhimanyu Behera accompanied by the Rajgangpur BDO Piyush Lohar and others completed the public hearing process on the outskirts of the villages and returned. 

Earlier, the draft R&R proposal based on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR)  Act, 2013 was sent to the respective GPs.

The Sub-Collector said the public hearings were meant to apprise the affected families about the R&R package and include further modifications or demands, but those protesting refused to talk over the R&R proposal and raised unrelated issues. 

He said some other villagers accepted the R&R proposal but the remaining can also place their suggestion and demand in writing before final draft publication. Forum for Gram Sabha Committee (FGSC), Rajgangpur President Bibol Toppo leading the agitators said the land acquisition proposal of DCBL was unanimously rejected at the respective Gram Sabha meetings of the concerned GPs on January 26,2020. 

"Still, the administration continues to move ahead unlawfully with the land acquisition process. The public hearing on R&R policy was both illegal and unconstitutional. We would next go for massive agitation and also seek help of court," he said.