Take back 1,062 acres allotted to Jindal, former IAS officer tells govt.

Cites failure of the company to set up alumina refinery in the land

Social activist and former IAS officer E.A.S. Sarma on Monday asked the State Government to immediately cancel 1,062.19 acres allotted to the Jindal South Aluminium Limited to establish an alumina refinery near S.Kota of Vizianagaram district, about 60 km from here.

The State Government vide GO Ms. No. 892 dated June 28, 2007, 178 (Rev.) dated February 18, 2008 had allotted 1062.19 acres to Jindal for the alumina refinery based on bauxite to be extracted from Araku hills in Paderu sub-division in Visakhapatnam district. Jindal had proposed the integrated aluminium refinery complex at a cost of ₹9,000 crore.

In a representation to Revenue Secretary V. Usha Rani, he stated that the company had failed to set up the refinery despite a lapse of more than 10 years. Moreover, the bauxite mining leases given to the company have been revoked.

As such, the government should have simultaneously revoked the land allotment orders and restored the land to the original cultivators, he said, adding at the time of acquisition of private lands for the company, serious irregularities were committed and the land compensation never reached the persons who were tilling the lands.

There were many D-Patta land assignees whose lands were forcibly taken away and handed over to the private company, he alleged.

‘Collector silent’

“I am surprised that the District Collector of Vizianagaram has chosen to remain silent and allowed the land to continue in the possession of the company. I am not sure whether the company had mortgaged the land and raised loans from financial institutions. I am also not sure whether the loan amounts thus taken have been siphoned off. If the government is blissfully unaware of the status of these lands, it reflects not only its incompetence but also its complicity in the scam,” he remarked.

Mr. Sarma said the company was trying to remove the trees on the land, violating the Central and State laws relating to conservation of environment, including WALTA. He wanted an order to maintain status quo on the land and the tree growth over it in case the company had mortgaged the lands to financial institutions, issue notices to the latter that the government would be taking over the lands and that the financial institutions should proceed against the company for not utilising the loan amounts for the purpose for which they were intended.

Legal action

He threatened to seek judicial intervention if the land allotment was not cancelled and the land not given back to those from whom it was taken for establishing the alumina refinery. He demanded an investigation to find out possible connivance of the officers for acts of commission and omission.