The Jagatsinghpur district administration has decided to conduct the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee meeting on the POSCO’s 12 million tonne steel plant project next week.

The meeting, scheduled on July 6, is being convened to finalize the compensation package in consultation with the affected villagers and elected representatives.

The decision to hold the RPDAC meeting comes close on the heels of submission of the site survey report to the state government and the nodal officer appointed for the project on Friday. The estimation of compensation is expected to be based on this survey report.

As per the state policy, the compensation package for the affected persons of a project has to be endorsed by the RPDAC constituted for the project. Though the state government had singed MoU with the South Korean company for a INR 52,000 crore steel plant in 2005, the RPDAC meeting on the project could not be held during the last five years due to delay in land acquisition and collection of data on loss of property and livelihood of local people.

An official said that now that the socio economic survey of the area, comprising eight villages in Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats, has been completed, time is ripe to hold the RPDAC meeting to finalize the compensation package for the affected persons.

He added that besides finalization of the package, the meeting will bring all the stake holders of the project, including the POSCO opponents, on to a single platform to share their views and concerns on the project.

Local MP, MLAs, revenue divisional commission of central division, nodal officer of POSCO project and other officials will participate in the RPDAC meeting which will also be attended by project affected persons.

In the run up to the RPDAC meeting, the district administration has held discussions with the members of United Action Committee a pro POSCO outfit, to give final touches to the compensation package.

During the talks, UAC repeated its 29 charter of demands including INR 2.5 million per acre of private land, INR 25.000 per decimal towards loss of betel vine, INR 300,000 per acre for prawn gheris and employment opportunity to each member of the affected families.

Meanwhile, the district administration, sources said, is in favor of finalizing the price of private land at INR 1.8 million to INR 2 million per acre and pegging the compensation for loss of betel vines at INR 15 to INR 18.000 per decimal besides fulfilling their other demands in consultation with the higher government authorities.

(Sourced from Business Standard)