Following a recent directive of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe, the Sundargarh Collector has directed to stop all construction works, other works and, even tree plantation activities on the unutilized land, which was acquired by the Rourkela Steel Plant.
Sources said, a group of displaced person of Rourkela had filed a petition in the office of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe during March 2017, for return of the unutilised land of the RSP to the original land owners. In their petition, they alleged that hundreds of acres of unutilized land of the RSP, instead of returning to the original land owners, had been handed over to different co-operative bodies for construction of houses on premium rates.
Acting on the petition, NCST Chairman Nanda Kishor Sai had conducted several hearings of RSP officials, district administrative officials and had directed them not to go ahead with any kind of developmental activities in the vacant lands, till the petition is disposed.
The direction of the NCST, however, was lying in cold storage due to which the displaced had raised the issue once again during his visit to Rourkela city, during last month. Besides, verbally directing the local administrative officials, Sai has issued a letter to the Sundargarh Collector recently, in which he has directed to stop any kind of activities in the vacant lands of RSP.
“After receipt of the recent directive of NCST Chairman, I have given necessary instruction to the local administrative officials,” said Collector, Sundargarh Vineet Bharadwaj.
Accordingly, Rourkela Tehsildar Biswa Ranjan Rath personally visited Ruputoalla area on Thursday, where a boundary wall construction work was going on by the RSP management and gave direction to stop the work. The Tehsildar also visited several other places like Hamirpur, Tumkela and Sector 13 area on Thursday and stopped the plantation work, going on there.
The decision has come as a moral victory for the displaced, who have been fighting for return of their unutilised lands.
