Resentment is brewing among the substantially affected people (SAP) of Talcher Thermal Power Station (TTPS), a unit of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), over the denial of any rehabilitation package to them by the company.
There are about 320 SAPs of TTPS, who are running from pillar to post since 2003 to get the rehabilitation package from the TTPS. SAP refers to the people who have lost more than one third of their land for the TTPS project
Meanwhile, several meetings of the rehabilitation committees headed by the divisional commissioner (northern range) have been held but NTPC officials avoided the decision on rehabilitation, stating that it was the company’s corporate authority which can take a decision on job or cash compensation, said an official source.
According to Nirmal Chandra Mishra, the local sub-collector, there are four villages namely Dasnalli, Santhapara, Jhariamba and Haturipara which were affected by land acquisition for ash pond of the power plant in early 2000. Besides 320 SAPs, there were about 2,000 other affected people.
The affected villagers are deeply sore on the attitude of TTPS authorities who neither agree for job nor for cash compensation on the Nalco model as decided by the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC), sources said. Nalco had given Rs 3-15 lakh to the SAPs who could not get jobs in the company due to lack of minimum eligibility criteria .
Official sources said the TTPS authorities are skirting the rehabilitation issue for the last five years, thereby ignoring the decisions of the rehabilitation committee. The last meeting held at the office of the local sub collector did not yield any breakthrough as the villagers insisted on the payment on the Nalco lines or jobs in the TTPS plant in lieu of their land.
Enraged over the denial of any rehabilitation package, local MLA Mahesh Sahu asked the TTPS authorities to carry out the decisions of the RPDAC or face agitation.