land acquisition/sez & displacement – 2011 - Indian Social Institute

under 124-A of the IPC pertaining to sedition. The petitioner came to the High Court and challenged theaction of the authorities in implicating him just because they were demanding appropriate rehabilitation.Initially, a HC judge granted interim stay but when the case came up for final hearing on Monday, JusticeGovinda Rajulu dismissed the case and gave liberty to the petitioner to approach the trial court seeking adischarge from the case. The judge was not inclined to accept the arguments of the petitioner that in anearlier case the High Court had quashed the cases against other tribals in similar offences. This judgmentassumes significance in the light of agitation by tribals all over the country seeking rehabilitationpackages, when they were being displaced from their habitat. Any person charged with sedition can bepunished with imprisonment for life. (TOI, 22/02/2011)600 applications from PoK crossed youth for rehabilitationJAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government has received over 600 applications for a rehabilitationpolicy from relatives and parents of Kashmiri militants in Pakistan occupied Kashmir who want to return."We have received and accepted 600 applications (from the relations of youth aspiring to return back toJammu and Kashmir from PoK). They are being verified," chief minister Omar Abdullah said. "I hope theday is not far when we will approve these 600 applications for the return and rehabilitation of youth goneacross," Omar said, adding that those, who had gone across for arms training to PoK will return withoutguns but along with wives and children to live a life of honour and dignity. The applications have beenfiled with Police chiefs of various districts of Jammu and Kashmir during the past 2 months. In theapplications, it has been claimed by parents and relatives that the youths are ready to return home. Thestate government has formally announced the rehabilitation policy on November 23 last year. The policyhas been launched to facilitate the return of ex-militants who belong to Jammu and Kashmir and hadcrossed over to PoK for arms and explosive training but had later given up and are willing to return to thestate. The policy states that those who have gone to PoK or Pakistan between January 1 1989 andDecember 31 2009 and their dependents will be eligible for consideration under the policy. Theapplications would be scrutinised by District SPs and then forwarded to CID, which will prepare a dossierand give it to the home department which will take a final call on whether the person can be permitted toreturn, the policy states. The ultras would be allowed to enter only through Wagah Border in Punjab andSalamabad and Chakan-Da-Bagh LoC points in Jammu and Kashmir, it said. The returnees and theirfamilies would be lodged for a period of three months at counselling centres. "The returnees shall not beentitled to any special benefits or privileges available in the existing surrender and rehabilitation policy,"the policy states. (TOI, 07/03/2011)613 families to be displaced for POSCO project: GovtSeeking cooperation from the local people for establishment of the Rs 52,000 crore POSCO project nearParadip, Orissa government today said only 613 families would be displaced for the mega steel plant.While the number of families facing displacement for POSCO project was initially put at 803, it camedown to 613 after the state government decided not to acquire private land at Dhinkia village, said steelminister Raghunath Mohanty. "As the people of Dhinkia are opposed to the project and unwilling tovacate their land, the government has decided not to acquire land from the village," he said. Withexclusion of private land from Dhinkia village, number of families to be displaced dropped from 803 to613, he said adding 190 families would benefit from the decision. POSCO project which initially required4004 acre land, would now be set up over 3719.22 acre of land. "The South Korean steel major has alsoaccepted the state government's decision of excluding Dhinkia village from its original plan," saidPriyabrat Patnaik, nodal officer for POSCO project. Of the 3719.22 acre of land for Posco project, privateland was only 152.69 acre while 3566 acre were government land, the minister said adding he washopeful that the local people would not oppose the project, billed as the biggest foreign direct investmentin the country. Of the 3,566 acre government land, 2,958.79 acre were categorised as forest land and607.74 acre non-forest revenue land. "We need diversification of forest land before handing it over to thecompany for starting work," Mohanty said. On renewal of memorandum of understanding (MoU) withPOSCO-India, the minister said: "We have been processing the file in this matter. IPICOL had alreadyprepared a draft for the renewal of MoU". Sources said the state government was waiting for opinion ofthe law department on inclusion of an additional clause in the new MoU. The state government would askPOSCO to reserve certain amount of jobs for the local youths in its proposed 12 MTPA steel mill, he said.(DNA, 09/03/2011)