A delegation of aggrieved Adivasi people met the Keonjhar Collector in a public grievance meeting held on February 2 last and aired their grievances pertaining to Tata Sponge plant situated at Bileipada under Joda block.
They said that the company did not provide any jobs to the tribals who gave away their land to the plant tough during the land acquisition, it had promised to give their job. Besides, the company was polluting the atmosphere and making the fertile land in the vicinity unfit for farming by releasing its dust and other effluents.
They told the Collector that after handover of their land to the plant, they have been rendered landless and have no livelihood option. They alleged that while the company has completely failed on the CSR front, the family members of influential political and trade union leaders have become prime beneficiaries of the project.
They also said that due to pollution, the tribals are getting affected by various diseases and life has become horrible for them. Talking about the hire and fire law of the company, they said laduram Bodra, who had passed Matric in the year 1984, was given a Mazdoor post in lieu of his father’s 28 acres of land. “After his 17 years of working, he was dismissed from service.
He has not got his compensation of the land till now. Another Srikanta Mahakud who had given 33 acres of land was terminated from services after 15 years. At that time, he had requested to the company authority to give a service to any of his three daughters who will look after him in his old age, but the company authority turned a deaf ear to his request. There are so many cases like this but the company is very apathetic towards them,” they told.
Sources revealed that because of the anti-Adivasi activities of the company, public hearing for expansion of the factory was held for three times but on all occasions, the local people strongly opposed the company. As a result, the company is not able to go ahead of its capacity, which is direct loss to the company and indirect loss to the State exchequer in form of different tax. But the company authority seems to learn no lesson from its past mistake.
Those who met the Collector were Mangal Singh Bodra, lal Mohan Singh Khuntia, Ghasia Behera, SS Singh Khuntia, Basanta Kumar Behera, laduram Bodra, Dashrath Munda, Dashrath Munda, Ramchandra Mundra and others. They threatened to stage dharana in front of the gate of the Tata Sponge if their grievances are not redressed. Keonjhar ADM Sangram Keshari Swain who was present in the grievance meeting received the petition and assured to look into the matter.