POSCO-India, which is proposing to set up a 12 million tonne steel plant in Orissa?s Jagatsinghpur district, has announced its compensation package for encroachers of the land on which the project is slated to come up.
The company said it will provide compensation to betel vine owners at the rate of Rs 7 lakh per acre. The compensation for prawn pond owners has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh per acre, while for paddy field owners, it’s at the rate of Rs 75,000 per acre. For fruit orchards, coconut plantation and cashew plantations, compensation will be given as per the state government resettlement and rehabilitation policy.
The South Korean steel company has also announced compensation package for the labourers working in the betel vines. The workers will get 15% of the total payout to the owners as compensation. Besides, the workers will be employed in the project work soon after the betel vines are demolished. The company has also promised to provide Rs 1,500 per month as allowance if it failed to provide the employment.
?The package has taken care of encroachers and also the workers who have been earning their livelihood for years from the land which belong to the government,” said Simanta Mohanty, general manager (external relations).
According to the socio-economic study conducted, there are about 1973 betel vines raised over 300 acres of land in the proposed site. About 1,000 landless people work as daily labourers in these betel vines. The total payout to betel vine owners will amount to Rs 21 crore.
POSCO-India and the district administration have geared up for land acquisition following the accordance of the forest clearance by the government of India. The project, for which the MoU was signed on June 22, 2005, has already been delayed by about two years due to opposition from locals.