A meeting of Rehabilitation and Periphery Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC)was held here on Tuesday to discuss issues on the MCLdisplaced and their settlement. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Northern Division) T Wapang Ao,Bargarh MP Suresh Pujari, Brajrajnagar MLA Kishore Mohanty, Northern Range DIG Himansu Lal, MCL CMD BN Shukla, Jharsuguda Collector Saroj Samal and SP Aswini Mohanty. Besides, the peoples representatives and department officials were present.
A discussion was held on the displaced and their resettlement, employment, compensation, apart from development work, pollution problem and its likely solutions in the locality.
The RDC said that major problems have been sorted out and rest will be solved with many welfare works in the locality. Bargarh MP Pujari assured that people will get back their rights. Discussion was held for giving compensation to the displaced and their job prospects.
Brajrajnagar MLA Mohanty said that local problems will be solved soon. The District Administration is also taking quick steps in this regard, he added.
The RPDAC meeting was held after an interval of two years and the general public is eagerly waiting for the outcome of the meeting.
The displaced and affected persons were not allowed to participate in this close door meeting for which displeasure was noticed along with protests outside the conference hall.
MCL CMD BN Shukla told the mediapersons that some villagers are demanding more compensation than prescribed under the R&R policy. These policies are drafted by the Government, not by us. Despite this, we have time and again made exceptions and have amply compensated people in the Samaleshwari Mine. Of late attempts have been made by certain beneficiaries to disrupt production by demanding much more compensation than prescribed by the State Government.
In some situations, we even agreed to pay Rs 6 lakh and deposited the some with the State Government, yet, the encroachers have refused to vacate the land, he told.
