Senior BJD leader, MLA of Sukinda and former Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai on Saturday demanded permanent jobs for local youth with proper salary in the 12 steel plants and other plants at Kalinga Nagar and its nearby areas in Jajpur district.

He made the demand while attending the Rehabilitation and Periphery Development Advisory Committee meeting at Kalinga Nagar.

Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central) Dr Arabinda Padhee presided over the meeting, which was also attended by Jajpur MP Mohan Jena, district Collector Anil Kumar Samal, Superintendent of Police Dr Deepak Kumar and Zilla Parishad president Susanta Mishra.

Mr Ghadai rued that “Many steel companies have acquired lands in this Sukinda area on conditions to provide jobs to the locals, but large numbers of land losers are yet to receive their compensation amounts.”

He further alleged that the Jindal and Visa steel plants have been illegally releasing their effluents into river Kharasrotra.

Pollution is causing skin cancer and other serious diseases among the people, especially children, said a resident of Pradhanapada village, Rukmini Jena.

Many other locals alleged at the meeting that the 12 steel industries and the 14 chromites mines in Sukinda Valley are discharging their wastes in the Brahmani river system in violation of law. The authorities are only concerned about providing water to the industries and pay lip service to poor tribals.

The huge abstraction and contamination of groundwater have become major environmental problems in the area. Several industries are exploiting underground water without obtaining proper permission from the authorities, leading to a sharp drop in the level of groundwater, added many locals.

RDC Dr Padhee said the meeting sought to sort out issues of land acquisition, compensation, rehabilitation and environmental and industrial pollution. The authorities would take action against the industrial units which are polluting rivers and air.

Source - www.dailypioneer.com

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