Rehab for tribals was recipe for trouble

Four of the 12 industries to be set up at Kalinga Nagar—Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited, Visa Steel, Mesco Steel and Jindal—have started operation. From 87 families evicted for setting up Mesco steel plant, only five people got jobs. In Neelachal Ispat Nigam Limited, only 53 people from 634 displaced families found employment. Out of the 430 families displaced to make way for Visa Steel, only 42 people got jobs.

Says District Magistrate Dr Aravindo Padhi: ‘‘The issue is genuine. Most of these tribals are illiterate and cultivation is the only source of sustenance.’’

He adds: ‘‘We will ask the industries to have a sympathetic look at the situation. After the January 2 incident, the government has formed a ministerial committee to take stock of the situation and to ensure better rehabilitation for the displaced tribals.’’

Another reason behind the unrest is the poor management of the compensation issue. After declaring Kalinga Nagar as an industrial complex, the state government started acquiring land in 1991.

Most of the private land was acquired in 1993. Out of the total 13,000 acres acquired, 6,895 acres were private and the rest was from the government. The Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), a nodal government agency entrusted with the task of land acquisition, paid Rs 35,000 per acre to tribals through the collector, Jajpur. The state government sold the land to the companies at Rs 3.35 lakh per acre.

After revising the compensation packages in November 2005, the state government decided to pay additional Rs 15,000 per acre to the displaced tribals. But, in many instances, the money did not reach the right people. ‘‘An inquiry has been already ordered. If it is true, action will be taken against the agencies entrusted with the task of distributing money,’’ said DM Padhi.

The flop show did not end there. After acquiring the land in 1993, the government did not take possession and allowed the tribals to continue cultivation. When the government started eviction after over a decade, the tribals resisted.

Local MLA and the State Finance Minister, Prafulla Gadai, blames the administration’s complacency for the uprising.

‘‘The failure of the administration in addressing the grievances of the displaced people has provided an opportunity for the opposition to cash in on the issue. The government’s promise of a better rehabilitation and resettlement policy has remained only on papers,’’ says Gadai.

‘‘Some of the villagers did not get the compensation as they did not have the papers. If we are evicted from our agricultural land, we will die of starvation. No one is getting employment in industries here. What will we do?’’ says Ana Gagarai of Godpur.

Rana Badara opened two grocery shops in the village with the compensation money. He is, however, an exception. The rest is a familiar story. ‘‘We got the money over 10 years back and many villagers spent it on liquor,’’ he says.