Times of India, April 27, 2011
BHUBANESWAR: Villagers displaced by Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL) from Lanjigarh area in Kalahandi district on Wednesday alleged that the company has betrayed them by not giving employment to one member of each family. The villagers, who launched a month-long agitation in Lanjigarh on March 26, said they would start a hunger strike in Bhubaneswar if their demand was not fulfilled within 10 days.
"We are poor and gullible people. We had agreed to acquisition of our agricultural land In the hope of getting employment. But the company cheated us. It gave us only Rs 1 lakh for an acre of land, which is negligible compared to actual price of the land," said president of Niyamgiri Land Losers' Association (NLLA), Surendra Nath Nag. As many as 1734 families were affected by the project, Nag added.
The villagers on Wednesday submitted a charter of 17 demands to the chief minister and other senior officials, demanding redressal of their grievances within 10 days. "This is not for the first time that we are telling them about our grievances. Eight years have passed and despite writing several letters and protest rallies, no action has been taken yet. Even the police and district administration are with the company and do not help us," alleged NLLA vice-president Manoranjan Das. "Project-affected people from different villages would sit on a hunger strike in Bhubaneswar if our demands are not be fulfilled in the next 10 days," Das added.
Among other demands, the land losers said the company must provide job to all project-affected persons above 18 years of age and increase land price to Rs 10 lakh per acre. They also said that those trained in Vedanta ITI must get a job in the company and steps must be taken to amenities such as communication, education and health facilities in the area.
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