There were mixed reactions from the locals to the second Gram Sabha held at Lahanda village of Birikala panchayat under Joda block of Keonjhar district for the required land for the proposed JSW Utkal Steel plant.
As per FRA, 2006 and its amendment version in 2012, it is required to take the opinion of the forest dwellers to change the title of forest land coming under 38.59 acre of land handed over to JSW for its iron dust and beneficiation plant to be set up at Gobardhanpur- Mauza in Deojhar panchayat.
Accordingly, a Gram Sabha had been held at Lahanda village ground on September 9, but it was cancelled as on the ground that the villagers opposed the venue of the meeting place which was changed allegedly to avoid protest of the affected people.
On Friday, although the meeting was held at the notifed place but the specific complaint of the villagers was that there has been no demarcation of land which will physically go to the ownership of the company. Moreover, some villagers alleged that the Gram Sabha was closed unceremoniously and they were not given the chance to put up their views in the meeting.
But there were also many who supported the company with the condition that the company set up the plant and at the same time, look after the interest of the local people like employment, peripheral development and pollution free environment etc.
However, prior to Friday's Gram Sabha , already three similar Grama Sabhas have been held at Mauza-Bhagalpur on September 5 , at Mauza-Kandra on September 6 and at Mauza-Gobardhanpur on September 7 for 9.59 acre, 2.57 acre and 5.35 acre of land, respectively, to be required for THE JSW Utkal Steel plant.
But out of that, there was a total objection to the Kandra Grama Sabha on the ground that the company was going to acquire the land of the tribal people.
The forest dwellers demand that before handing over the land to the company, there should be proper demarcation of the land in the presence of the villagers and then the Gram Sabha be held.
Secondly, the pasture / cow grazing land ,grave yard etc.should be kept away from the clutches of the company.
Sources revealed that the villagers had also met Collector, Keonjhar, Ashish Thakre at the district-level grievances meeting on Tuesday in this regard.