Even though two of the five job-seeking agitators have been hospitalised due to deteriorating health conditions, the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) authorities’ silence has stunned all displaced families who had handed over land for the plant some 50 years ego.
However, the rest three agitators called off the strike after the district administration assured them of taking steps to give them jobs by March 2014.
A total of five persons on behalf 162 displaced families on 32 mouza had been resorting to the fast stir, demanding jobs in the Rourkela Steel Plant as per displacement norms, since December 17. While one Guru Charan Mundari fell ill on December 21, another Anthony Kissan fell sick two days after on December 23. Mundari and Kissan were admitted in Ispat General Hospital (IGH) and Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH). The other three who take part in the strike are Bimal Benerjee, Manoranjan Padhi and Debendra Tanty.
“It has shocked us all that while two agitators have already fallen ill, on official from RSP has turned up to the agitation site. We have suffered a lot,” lamented a displaced person. Meanwhile, ADM RN Mishra on Saturday called on the protestors and requested them to call off the stir. He informed that a high-level meeting held at the State Secretariat on December 13 has discussed the matter. All the 162 short-listed displaced persons would get jobs by March 2014. Sub-Collector SB Mishra had also met them a day before.
leaders of different political parties like BJP, Congress, Samata Kranti Dal, Aam Aadmi Party, CPI(M) have extended their solidarity to the displaced families.