ArcelorMittal land acquisition: Government seeks detailed report
The government had sent a missive to the district administrations of Khunti and Gumla, where ArcelorMittal has proposed to set up the plant, seeking a detailed report on the status of the land acquisition.
By Navtan Kumar, ET Bureau |
RANCHI: Some five days after ArcelorMittal threatened to pull out from Jharkhand, the state government has swung into action to end the stalemate, stemming from the delay in land acquisition for the company���s 12 million tonnes steel plant.
State industries director Aradhana Patnaik told ET that the government had sent a missive to the district administrations of Khunti and Gumla, where ArcelorMittal has proposed to set up the plant, seeking a detailed report on the status of the land acquisition.
"I have asked the district administrations to provide the current status of the land acquisition process. We would like to know the exact position and the objection of the villagers," she said, adding that a similar communication had also been sent from the state secretary level as well.
While the Jharkhand government has already offered 1,025 acres to the company, local villagers have objected to the move. The company has also deposited money to the state government for the land. ArcelorMittal requires some 11,000 acres in the state.
Ms Patnaik said she had personally spoken to the Khunti deputy commissioner (DC) Pooja Singhal and her Gumla counterpart Rahul Sharma in regard to this to send the report at the earliest and sort out the bottlenecks in the wake of objections raised by 34 gram sabhas of the two districts. "They had met me also some time ago and submitted a memorandum in this regard," Ms Patnaik pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch (AMARM), which is spearheading the agitation against the project, has decided to organise a rally in front of collectorate office in Gumla on October 14 against the government���s move to sell land to the company. The rally was earlier scheduled for October 13, but was postponed for a day, in view of the bandh call given the by the banned CPI-Maoist.
The AMARM convenor, Ms Dayamani Barla said the company���s pullout threat was nothing but an eyewash. "We will continue our agitation until the company formally withdraws the project from Jharkhand," Ms Barla said.
State industries director Aradhana Patnaik told ET that the government had sent a missive to the district administrations of Khunti and Gumla, where ArcelorMittal has proposed to set up the plant, seeking a detailed report on the status of the land acquisition.
"I have asked the district administrations to provide the current status of the land acquisition process. We would like to know the exact position and the objection of the villagers," she said, adding that a similar communication had also been sent from the state secretary level as well.
While the Jharkhand government has already offered 1,025 acres to the company, local villagers have objected to the move. The company has also deposited money to the state government for the land. ArcelorMittal requires some 11,000 acres in the state.
Ms Patnaik said she had personally spoken to the Khunti deputy commissioner (DC) Pooja Singhal and her Gumla counterpart Rahul Sharma in regard to this to send the report at the earliest and sort out the bottlenecks in the wake of objections raised by 34 gram sabhas of the two districts. "They had met me also some time ago and submitted a memorandum in this regard," Ms Patnaik pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Adivasi Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch (AMARM), which is spearheading the agitation against the project, has decided to organise a rally in front of collectorate office in Gumla on October 14 against the government���s move to sell land to the company. The rally was earlier scheduled for October 13, but was postponed for a day, in view of the bandh call given the by the banned CPI-Maoist.
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The AMARM convenor, Ms Dayamani Barla said the company���s pullout threat was nothing but an eyewash. "We will continue our agitation until the company formally withdraws the project from Jharkhand," Ms Barla said.
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