The Mahanadi Coalfields limited (MCl), which is finding it hard to evict scores of villages in Hensmul village nearby its Bhubaneswari mine, has to hike the compensation sum and provide better rehabilitation package to end the stalemate, opined several trade union leaders and intellectuals in Talcher.
They said political leaders need to meddle in the matter and convince the villagers to shift to other non coal bearing area so that the MCl would be able to continue its operation in Bhubaneswari and Ananta open cast projects (OCPs).Notably, the MCl has expressed strong apprehension on finally to close down mining operations under its Jagannath Area in view of about 127 villagers staying adamant on vacating their structures in the mining zone close to the two mining projects under operations and resorting to paralyse work.
They are refusing to vacate structures/homestead land despite several rounds of tripartite meeting involving the MCl, local administration and the villagers. They are closing down the roads into their village as a result of which the machineries and vehicles used for excavation of coal are not able to move to the mines, leading to stoppage of mining operation in the two mines.
The MCl in a release has said that if the present stalemate continues, operations in the two mines would have to be stopped by October or November, leading to a loss of around 120 lakh tonnes coal production during current financial year.“Closure of mining operations at Jagannath Area, which has a production target of about 40 million tonnes for 2014-15, would mean snapping off fuel line to the power plants in Tamil Nadu, Telengana and Andhra Pradesh,” the release said.
According to sources, a total 285 people of the village were provided jobs in the company between 1995 and 2009 as part of compensation package against their land and offered plots at a nearby place called Gurjang, where the MCl has developed an R&R site for the rehabilitation of project affected people. However, 127 refused despite final five-month notice and continuous persuasion by the company as well as local administration.
On the contrary, demanding better compensation and an area for resettlement which the MCl is not willing to part with as that is a coal bearing patch, the villagers continued to obstruct the mining operations. Since, the recalcitrant villagers violated the terms and conditions, the MCl terminated all the villagers from service in May last.
Meanwhile, CITU leader Ananda Acharya said the MCl can settle the issue amicably with the villagers by offering them better rehabilitation and shifting them to posh locations.He stated that the Hensmul villagers can be shifted to Deulbera, Dera and Balanda areas, which are posh locations in Talcher.Huge acres of land have been encroached in these areas by persons and private institutions. The MCl should locate the areas now under the illegal occupation and shift the villagers to there by building quarters, he opined.