The MCl has suffered huge losses due to stoppage of coal production over last few years in the Talcher belt. The strikes and blockades, launched in the coal mines by the local villagers who lose their land to the mines and are not been duly rehabilitated in turn, pose continuous worries for the public sector unit (PSU). Despite the imposition of ESMA, banning agitation in the mine areas, there has been no end to the public stir.
Unable to handle the situation, the MCl each time seeks intervention of the local administration and police to restore normalcy in the area. While agitation on a particular occasion is stopped and normalcy restored, be it through a mutual settlement of issues or by force, the causes behind the agitation are left unaddressed.
As a result, after a brief period of lull, again another disturbance occurs leading to stalling of the mining operations and MCl incurring losses worth crores of rupees. Besides, it belies the very claim of the MCl that it is providing the best rehabilitation and resettlement packages to the land losers in comparison to other PSUs like Nalco and NTPC.
RTI activist Artatrana Pani, who has been working for the rights of the displaced people in MCl coalfield area here, said though MCl has one of the best R&R policies, yet it is not properly implemented which is why disturbances are occurring most often in Talcher.
He said the implementing officials are rather exploiting the villagers and depriving them of their dues. Rampant corruption and nepotism during implementation have rendered the policy meaningless, he alleged.
He revealed that most of the villagers are ignorant about the R&R policies giving these officials a leeway to exploit the oustees. RTI information collected from the MCl reveals many irregularities where genuine displaced people have been debarred from their right.
In order to get justice, one has to go to the court and the State Human Right Commission, but since most of the displaced persons are not aware of the procedure, they continue to suffer.
“Neither the MCl nor the State Government has effective forum to address the grievances of the land losers on a fast track basis,” Pani said.
He added that while many families are enjoying rehabilitation three times more than their due, some genuine persons are denied their due owing to large-scale goof-ups during disbursal of the benefits.
Hence, in order to bring clarity in rehabilitation, MCl should start a separate grievances cell in Talcher to sort out the grievances of the displaced. At the same time, the State Government needs to shift the Coal Bearing Tribunal, which is presently functioning at Dhenkanal to Talcher for efficiently dealing with the oustees’ issues, opined Pani.