Retrenched unskilled workers of Tata Steel as well as farmers affected by land acquisition of the company in Ganjam district of Odisha held a joint protest rally in district headquarter town Chatrapur on Wednesday.
Around 2000 agitators took out a rally and handed over a memorandum addressed to the Odisha CM at the office of Chatrapur sub-collector. They also held a public meeting. The retrenched workers united under the banner of ‘Gopalpur Tata Steel Prakalpa Prabhabita Chasi Manch (GTSPPCM)’ are continuing indefinite dharna in front of campus of upcoming ferrochrome plant of the company near Gopalpur port since Aug 2. Eighteen retrenched group-D employees of company have also joined them.
Adviser of GTSPPCM, Sudhakar Reddy they resorted to this protest rally as even after 45 days their demands have not been fulfilled and talks with the company and administration have failed. Affected farmers and retrenched workers threatened to start cultivating their erstwhile land which has now been taken over for the company.
This demonstration and public meeting was also attended by elected sarpanchs of Chamakhandi, Narendrapur, Kalipalli, Luhajhari, Badakusasthali and Narayanpur panchayats. Farmers of these panchayats have been affected by the land acquisition for Tata Steel’s now shelved mega steel plant project in Ganjam district.
Through the memorandum, demand was made for reinstatement of retrenched workers. Agitators expressed their dissatisfaction over the revised Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package and demanded compensation to be increased to five lakh rupees per acre. They wanted company to promise employment of youths from families affected by land acquisition on priority basis.
Industrial Development Corporation (IDCO) of Odisha in the past had acquired 2970 acres of land near Gopalpur port in Ganjam district for a mega steel plant project of Tata Steel. Later steel plant project had been shelved and the company had decided to have a SEZ named Gopalpur Industrial Park (GIP) on the land. A 55,000 Tonnes per Annum (TPA) capacity ferrochrome plant, which happens to be the anchorage industry of GIP is almost ready for inception.