Yet no action taken to fulfil their demands
The Rourkela local Displaced Association (RlDA) members are on a hunger strike in front of the Rourkela ADM office since June 20 demanding jobs in the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP).
During these days, many have been shifted to hospital due to health reasons but neither the district administration nor the RSP authority has taken any stringent step to resolve the issue amicably.
Of course, the elected representatives and leaders of different political parties (not BJD) are coming to the spot and expressing their solidarity with the RlDA members, but in reality they have not done anything for the fulfillment of their demands.
On July 14, a Congress delegation had met Rourkela ADM RN Mishra and taken up the matter with him. The ADM had assured that the matter will be resolved in two days. However, he did nothing tangible to fulfil the assurance.
It is to be mentioned here that on January 10, 2006, the displaced family members of Mandira Dam and RSP had gone for a three-day economic blockade at Kukudagate near Bondhamunda on Howrah-Mumbai train line. The strike was called off on written assurance to resolve the issue soon by the RDC, Sambalpur and the RSP management jointly. That time, the issue was highlighted in the national level media. A delegation from German had visited later to study the issue.
Then the State Government had issued a notice inviting application from the displaced people between February 20 and May 20 and as many as 8,006 applicants had submitted their applications at the local Displaced Cell (lDC) of Rourkela ADM office. After scrutinizing the applications for four years in 2010, the district administration had shortlisted 146 applicants as eligible to get job in the RSP.
Despite all these formalities, when the shortlisted people could not get any job letter for a long time, the displaced association of 32 Mauzas again sat on a hunger strike on December 17, 2013 in front of the Rourkela ADM office. On December 24, 2013 after the ADM, Rourkela assured them that by March 31, 2014 they would be given job, they had called off the strike. But as the administration did not act as per its assurance till mid-June, these people against resorted to agitation from June 20.
It is further learnt that in the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meeting held in June 2008, it was decided to absorb 851 displaced persons of Mandira Dam, 117 of RSP and 130 registered in Rourkela Employment Exchange (total 1,098) in the RSP. Out of them 705 were already engaged and the documents of other 393 are being verified.
While 228 persons’ documents were found correct, 165 were disqualified for various reasons. So basing on the list of the then RDC, the ADM Rourkela wrote a letter to Collector, Sundargarh on July 9 to give job to the 146 shortlisted persons of Rourkela and 17 of Marshaling Yard (total 163) those were on hunger strike in place of the 165 disqualified. And on July 10, the Collector wrote to the Additional Chief Secretary but so far no action has been taken on the letter.