The Anchalik Surakshya Committee (ASC), at the forefront of a movement to reclaim land acquired decades ago for an Indian Railways project, has threatened economic blockade if their demand is not met.
ASC president Deme Oram, addressing a gathering of tribals who lost their land in the Bandomunda area in Rourkela’s outskirts, said that the vacant land, originally acquired for an Indian Railways marshalling yard project, rightfully belonged to the tribals and should be returned to them.
Approximately 1,000 families of the original inhabitants continue to hold on to the land, which is officially designated for railway projects but remains unused, Mr. Oram said.
“We have met government officials umpteen times, staged peaceful agitations, moved the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), and again approached government officials to execute the NCST’s order, which says the unutilised land be restored to tribals. The long-drawn battles to reclaim our land seem to have no end in sight,” he said.
“More than 3,500 acres of land belonging to tribals have been acquired at different points of time for various railway projects. The Indian Railways has failed to use the land even after six decades. On numerous occasions, we tried to find the answer — what was the hurry to displace tribals?” Mr. Oram asked.
He further alleged that the land was acquired illegally as acquisition laws were not applicable to Sundargarh, under which the land fell, since it was a princely State at the time.
The Rourkela Steel Plant and Marshalling Yard Displaced Committee (RSPMYDC) backed the call for economic blockade saying the State government had failed restore the unused land to the tribals, who were the rightful claimants.
Around 32,000 acres of land was acquired by the Odisha government for the establishment of the Rourkela Steel Plant, civil township, and Mandira dam from 1955 to 1959.
“During acquisition of land, tribals were given compensation for crop damage. Later, authorities claimed that the amount paid was for land acquisition. Many people have not received any compensation. The RSP (Rourkela Steel Plant) established its plant and civil township in about 15,000 acres of land, and returned 5,000 acres of unused land to the State government,” Lachhu Oram, president, RSPMYDC, said.
“Instead of restoring the returned land to tribals, the State government came up with modern housing projects in the Chhend and Basanti colonies. The government used it for commercial purpose, which was not the objective during acquisition of land from our forefathers,” he added.
“Now the government must not go ahead with any plan on the vacant land acquired for the RSP in Rourkela. The tribals have the first right on the land. Pragmatically, the government cannot evict thousands of people from Rourkela for restoring land to tribals. The government must identify all tribal land oustees and compensate them as per the latest land acquisition laws,” Mr. Lachhu Oram said.
Subhajit Banerjee, a lawyer associated with the movement, said the government could at least fix the land rent for development that had taken place on tribal land, and pay that on a regular basis to the tribals who had lost their land. “Family members of those who lost their land should be absorbed as regular employees in the RSP and the Indian Railways,” Mr. Banerjee said.
