By Our Correspondent
ANGUL/BHUBANESWAR: Locals of villages of Chhendipada block in Angul, including, Nandichod, Raijharan, Kosala, Gopinathpur, Jungle, Kundajharinala and Similisahi are now up in arms against tree cutting at Mines Ministry, CPSE, NALCO’s proposed coal mining at Utkal-D and Utkal-E coal blocks.
Sources said, NALCO is yet to grant compensation to locals for its Utkal-E Coal block while the company hired a private firm for tree cutting at Utkal-D coal block site, to which locals strongly opposed and taken hostage of company official’s engaged for tree cutting. Following assurance from the tree cutting private firms , locals released them with a warning to not venture into their villages till NALCO fulfil their demands.
Seven villages of Chhendipada block, namely, Nandichod, Raijharan, Kosala, Gopinathpur, Jungle, Kundajharinala and Similisahi, would be affected by the coal mining. Around 700 extended families of these villages would be displaced.
Locals alleged that NALCO has failed to develop the Utkal D and Utkal E coal blocks at Chhendipada of Angul even after 6 long years of their allotment. The Government of India has allocated these two coal blocks to the Nalco in May 2016 for fuel supply to its captive power plant. The Nalco was supposed to develop the coal blocks within 44 months after their allotment.
Recently, Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had expressed grave concern over some contractors and Mine Developers and Operators (MDOs) not paying the right wages to the contract labourers engaged by them in the NALCO coal mines in Angul district.
Locals alleged that till now, for a complete land acquisition process a meeting of the Project Land Rehabilitation & Resettlement Committee (PLRRC) has not been held as yet. Besides, a high-power RPDAC meeting has also not been held, for which a rehabilitation and resettlement (RR) package has not been finalised for the affected people. All this has led to an inordinate delay to start the mining work. Apart from it, vast common property resources and ecology would be affected by the coalmining.
Previously in August 2004, the Government of India had allotted the Utkal-E coal block to the Nalco to meet the additional requirement of coal for its captive power plant (CPP) for its capacity expansion from 960 MW to 1,200 MW. However, the NALCO failed to implement the project in due time and subsequently faced cancellation of allocation of this coal block following a Supreme Court order to de-allocate 204 coal blocks across the country.The same was again re-allotted by the GoI along with another coal block, (Utkal-D), to the company in 2016. However, both the captive coal blocks are yet to be developed.
NALCO has applied for exemption under Section 31 of the aforesaid act to the Ministry of Labour and Employment through the Ministry of Mines. CACLB has already conducted various meetings with representatives of the NALCO as well as MDO engaged for Utkal D and E coal blocks and its report has been submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
