About 1000 Substantial Affected Persons (SAP) in the mining and refinery complex of National Alumina Company Limited (Nalco) at Damanjodi in Koraput district have demanded rehabilitation benefits at par with the SAPs of the company in its Angul smelter and power complex.
Although Nalco has provided rehabilitation assistance to the Local Displaced Persons (LDPs), it has not been provided any benefit to the SAPs as per its own rehabilitation policy.
The rehabilitation policy of Nalco prescribed that the LDPs whose entire house and land have been acquired and SAPs whose one-third of land has been acquired would be provided rehabilitation assistance (RA). But except LDPs, the Nalco has not been provided any benefit to the SAPs, they alleged.
The land acquisition process of Nalco at Damonjodi started in 1981-82 and 4535.95 acres of land was acquired to establish the refinery and mining complex.
The company had paid Rs 1, 53, 13,242 towards compensation to the land losers. While around 600 families were displaced for the project, 597 of them have been provided with house in the two rehabilitation colonies set up at Analabadi and Kontaguda. Moreover, one able person from each displaced family was provided employment in Nalco, the company sources claimed.