MINING AND INDUSTRIALISATION UPDATE, ORISSA - Vasundhara

Govindpur and Dhinkia villages. Themeetings were replete with speeches ofaffected people who lamented that theirstruggle for right to life and livelihood hadnot been heard over the last three yearsforcing them to resort to such actions. Wehave been living in this place since timeimmemorial so why shall we leave this land,remarked villagers. Anti-Posco activistsclaimed that all the people including womenand children will fight against the project.The PPSS has formed a 15 member corecommittee to expedite its ‘land allotment’move. The forest diversion proposalincludes several areas of Dhinkia, Nuagaonand Gadakujang panchyats. These areas willnow be acquired by villagers and each plotwill be fenced by the family to which it isallotted, declared PPSS leaders. "The firstphase allotment has been completed and therest of the land will also be allotted so thateach family protects the area and stalls anyform of diversion or acquisition by thecompany" said Mr Abhaya Sahoo, presidentof PPSS. Mr Babuli Rout, another PPSSleader said: "The core committee will holdmeetings at every village to identifybeneficiaries and allot plots. The nextmeeting of the core committee will be heldtomorrow at Govindpur". The PPSS leadersalso informed that forest protectioncommittees will be formed to stall any plansof acquisition by the government. Officialsat the district headquarters however said thatall such plans of PPSS are blatantly illegal."The forest land were mostly on pen andpaper only, said an official before addingthat the forest diversion proposal has beencleared paving the way for acquisition of thesaid land in favour of the company.Displaced families of Koraputto be rehabilitatedPNS, 12 August, 2008At a meeting held at the Circuit House atKoraput, Revenue Divisional CommissionerSatyabrata Sahu declared that the 580families, who were displaced from 19villages of Koraput and Borigumma blocksin 2001 for the Telengiri project, would berehabilitated and get all compensations. Inthe first phase, 501 families having landrecords would get the compensation underthe new rule of the State Government. Thedistrict Collector Balakrushna Sahurequested the Government to arrangecompensation for the rest 79 families havingno land records. All these families weredeprived of the compensation since lastthree years. The representatives of thepeople demanded establishment of a villagefor rehabilitation, electrification of thevillage under the Biju Gramajyoti Yojana,provision of drinking water, MadhubabuPension scheme, construction of schoolbuildings and roads, irrigation facility andfruit plantation. It was decided to form adevelopmental committee under theguidance of Sahu to look after all thecompensation and rehabilitation process.Assembly panel concernedover Bhusan Steel pollutionPNS, 14 August, 2008The Sub-Committee of the State Assembly'sPublic Accounts Committee, headed bydeputy leader of Opposition NarasinghaMishra, after visiting the surroundingvillages of Bhusan Steel plant on Monday,expressed grave concern over the growingpollution near the plant site. Seekingappropriate steps to prevent the pollution,Mishra also advised the districtadministration to establish a hospital and ananimal health centre near the plant site withfinancial assistance from Bhushan. The Sub-Committee also advised the districtadministration to take steps to curb thefrequent road accidents on NH-42 occurringnear the Bhushan plant. At the reviewmeting conducted at the Circuit House here,the Sub-Committee discussed elaboratelythe progress of the ongoing Governmentschemes. Apart from district CollectorMrinalini Darswal, ADM Gopabandhu27