In its last leg of power, the government of Orissa does not want to leave any stone unturned to ensure that country?s biggest foreign direct investment?Posco project?goes through.
Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik?s trusted lieutenant Damodar Rout has claimed to get ?reasonable? success in convincing the inhabitants of Dintia village, who have been opposing the project tooth and nail.
?Through direct communication with the villagers we have diluted the opposition and majority of the villagers have agreed to the compensation company offered. Besides compensation to land owners, the company is also offering Rs 8 lakh per acre to people who encroached the government land and were dependent on the land for their livelihood,? MLA and former panchayati raj minister Raut told FE.
The government machinery is facilitating the construction work on the site and would like to expedite the work as the project is already delayed by over a year due to various reasons, he said, adding that the company, too, is going beyond what it had promised and the construction work for the first phase should start by April 1.
Though there is no precedent across the world to compensate the encroachers, the company is going to that extent, as it does not want to disturb their livelihood, Raut added. Once the plant is up and running, one member of a displaced family will be trained and employed.
The resettlement & rehabilitation (R&R) policy, which was announced on February 1 by Posco India, talks of providing houses to displaced families. During the construction stage, one member of each project-affected family would be engaged in construction job, a senior official of Posco India said.
?The compensation we have worked out for displaced families is by far the best possible package and is likely to help company start construction work from April 1, 2008,? senior general manager of Posco India, Vikash Sharan said.
When asked about the compensation package that was offered to those whose land is required for the project, Sharan said, ?We can not divulge those details at this point in time.?