The GMR Kamalanga Energy Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of infrastructure major GMR group, which operates a thermal power plant in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, has acquired land in contravention of provisions of statues, alleged land losers here.
“We, landless tribal families, were provided land under Vasundhara scheme in Kamalanga village. After allocation of land, we were in physical possession of land. But GMR group acquired our land without conducting mandatory Socio Economic Survey,” alleged Laxman Palei, a tribal.
Mr. Palei said: “No rehabilitation and resettlement benefit has been extended to us, leave alone providing alternative land. Despite our repeated requests, Dhenkanal district administration has not paid any heed to us.”
The acquired land should be returned to tribals if the company was not in position to extend R&R benefits, they demanded.
Speaking to reporters here, Satyanarayan Samant, an RTI activist, pointed out a number of goof-ups made in the land acquisition.
“The company has adopted unfair means to take land under its possession. It has directly purchased land from poor villagers through its employees and tried to record those land patches in company’s name in absence of notification under section of 4(1) of Land Acquisition Act 1894 and 73 (C) of Odisha Land Reforms Act, 1960, which were in force during the time of such purchase,” Mr. Samant said.
Similarly, a public road was forcibly blocked by the company without providing alternative land for another road for the villagers at Kamalanga, he said, adding “the communal rights of villagers have been infringed upon.”
Mr. Samant, who has obtained several sets of information by exercising RTI Act, also alleged that the company was in forceful occupation of ‘Basti Yogya land’, a common property resource, since 2009, but equal amount of land was yet to be given in exchange. Land losers and activist alleged company official in collusion with district administration was trying to grab land from the possession of individuals as well as community. Seeking intervention of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the matter, they demanded that the company should be taken to task.
