Minister of State for Civil Aviation and BJP MP from Hazaribagh constituency Jayant Sinha on Saturday held a meeting with all the stakeholders at the Suchna Bhawan in Hazaribagh to thrash out the ongoing dispute over land acquisition for NTPC coal projects.
The meeting was attended by land owners, village local body representatives, representatives of organisations agitating at Barkagaon, NTPC officials and officials of district administration. Senior police officials of the district and representatives of all the political parties, including MlA Nirmala Devi, were also present in the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Sinha said that justice to everyone and transparency in the entire process are his priority. He urged the land owners and village local body representatives to make a team of five villagers and mukhiya to raise their concerns. He assured the villagers to arrange a meeting of Chief Minister Jharkhand Raghubar Das with delegation of land owners and village local body representatives.
It was the first time for many years when all the stakeholders sat together to discuss on the issue. In the meeting, local body representatives, land owners and supporters of the ongoing agitation alleged that the ongoing land acquisition by NTPC is not on the basis of 2013 Act. They questioned the gram sabhas organised by NTPC. They also raised police excess on protesting villagers and alleged that police force is being used to grab their land forcibly.
However, the officials of NTPC disputed the allegations by the villagers and their representatives. They claimed that the NTPC has strictly followed the rules and regulations for land acquisition. It will be wrong to say that after five years of acquiring land they have not started work there, they added.
Superintendent of Police Bheemsen Tuti who was present at the meeting assured the villagers that the police will do justice with all and said no one should worry about the role of police. Every case lodged in connection of this issue is under investigation, he added.
Saying the district administration is with the villagers, Hazaribagh District Collector Ravi Shankar Shukla also assured them that the district administration will ensure no violation of rules and regulations of land Acquisition Act. The administration is keeping a close watch on all the land acquisition, he said.
MP Jayant Sinha thanked everyone for taking part in this meeting.