Demanding rehabilitation, HAl land losers on Tuesday went berserk and forcibly ploughed nearly 200 acres of land to take up agricultural activities. Sources said displaced people of the Hindustan Aeronautics limited (HAl) had been asking for return of their land since long as the latter allegedly failed to properly rehabilitate them as per conditions made before the land acquisition way back in 1963.
The State Government had handed over a total of 12,000 acres of land belonging to 11 villages, including Kakigaon, Chikapur, Khalaput, Chakirliput and Kodinga to the HAl. While the HAl has been established on 3121.15 acres of land, it has handed over nearly 6,000 acres to various Central institutes, including the Central University of Odiha and the Cobra Batallion. Now the HAl has unused 2918.53 acres of land in its hand.
“While we have approached the RDC, the district administration and people’s representatives with the demand many a time yet the HAl authorities have remained silent. We have decided to take up agricultural activities on the unused land to earn livelihood,” president of displaced people union Trilochan Muduli said, adding that they would not go back from the land until they have not been properly rehabilitated.
On being informed, Sunabeda Police Inspector Puspanjali Min and HAl Security Officer BP Nayak rushed to the spot but failed to convince the agitators, sources said.
