Orissa grapples with uniform rehab policy

PRICE OF PROGRESS

Job provision likely for one member from each of the displaced families.

The Kalinga Nagar tribal-police clash has highlighted the need for a comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation policy, particularly for tribal pockets in Orissa and elsewhere, to avoid such tragedies in future.

Orissa has a long history of such bloody clashes. In December 2000, three persons were killed in police firing at Maikanch, near Kashipur in Rayagada district while protesting against the establishment of a Rs 4,000 crore alumina project by Utkal Alumina International Ltd, a joint venture between Indal and Alcan.

Two persons were killed in a police action in 1997 during land acquisition for the now-shelved Tata Steel project at Gopalpur. The same company had to back out of a prawn culture project at Chilka following protests by local fishermen in early 90s.

The Vedanta group which is setting up a Rs 4000 crore alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi too had to face tribal protest in 2004.

At the root of this ire is the poor track record of rehabilitation of the project-affected people. Be it Rourkela Steel Plant, Nalco, Hirakud, Indravati or Rengali dam project, the people who had lost their homes to the projects are yet to be settled.

According to a study, more than a lakh families have so far been displaced by different irrigation and hydro power projects in Orissa.

Besides, more than 20 lakh other families too have been affected in varying degrees.

Judging from the ongoing development projects in the state, 5 lakh more people are expected to be affected during the first decade of this century. And most of them are tribals.

Says Tapan Padhi, a noted social activist, "When the status of the affected and the displaced people of the completed projects are assessed, it is seen that majority of them have failed to regain their pre-displaced living standard. On the contrary, most of them have become impoverished and marginalised. Anticipating similar fate, the local people are increasingly opposing industrial projects."

For example, out of the 650 families displaced due to Nilachal Ispat Nigam in Kalinga Nagar, only 184 have got jobs. Similarly, out of the 59 families displaced due to the Jindal Stainless project, only 24 have got jobs and in case of Visa Industries, only a handful of the 23 families displaced have got jobs.

The industry is of the view that since the factories are high tech and the skill-level of the locals is very low, "it is not possible to give jobs to all the people affected by the project".

In fact, apart from provision of job for one member from each of the displaced family, the resettlement and rehabilitation package for the Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex prescribes additional ex-gratia amount of Rs 25,000 per acre of agricultural land, Rs 50,000 per family as house building assistance, hike in temporary shelter allowance to Rs 5000 per family, and all rehabilitation benefits to families having their house on encroached land. However, the ongoing protests clearly indicate that the tribals want more.

The cause of all displacement related problem in Orissa is that there is no comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation policy and most of these schemes are sectoral or project-specific, says Pradip Jena, the project head of UNDP.

The UNDP in association with Department for International Development (DFID), UK government, had worked out a comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation package for Orissa.

The draft policy, apart from suggesting payment of full compensation for all losses to the affected people at replacement cost and their proper settlement through allotment of land and jobs, seeks to elevate the position of project-affected people to stakeholder by asking the industrial and mining companies to earmark 5 per cent equity for them as preferential shares.

"The mining and industries projects should set apart 5 per cent of their net annual profit for local development schemes within a radius of 50 kilometres designed to improve living conditions of the displaced people in their new surroundings, such as health, education, communication, agriculture and irrigation", it said.

Though the draft was submitted to the government in June last year, the latter is yet to take a decision, mainly on account of the industry which is unwilling to part with 5 per cent equity in favour of the local community.

Meanwhile, the Orissa government has set up a ministerial committee to take a decision on the matter and prepare a comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitation policy for the state.

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WHAT'S IN IT

Job provision for one member from each of the displaced families

Additional ex-gratia amount of Rs 25,000 per acre of agricultural land

Rs 50,000 per family as house building assistance

Hike in temporary shelter allowance to Rs 5,000 per family

Rehabilitation benefits to families having houses on encroached land