Business Standard reported that Odisha state government has decided that POSCO India will have to pay the same price for rehabilitation colony land as it has paid for the project area, following a complaint raised by the National Human Rights Commission.

The government while filing a compliance report on the NHRC complaint regarding the same issue said that “Steps will be taken to request POSCO India to pay equivalent compensation as paid in the case of rate of private land coming within the project area.”

Villagers near the project area had complained that two private firms in 2009 acquired about a hundred acres near the proposed plant site in the name of establishing fish farms and later sold the same land to POSCO for establishment of its rehabilitation colony.

The land was sold by the villagers at INR 1.80 lakh to INR 2 lakh per acre then, whereas the district administration has fixed the land rate for POSCO project at INR 17 lakh per acre, they had alleged.

The government, on the other hand, said no such land transfer has been made for rehabilitation colony purpose.

The letter sent from the steel and mines department said that “It is verified from the district administration, Jagatsinghpur that till now no record of rights has been issued with regard to surrender of land in favour of R&DM (revenue and disaster management) department.”

However, it said henceforth, no private parties will be allowed to purchase land for any project related works of the government and said it can only be done with the due permission of government in R&DM department after recommendation by Idco (Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Odisha). While Idco has been entrusted with the land buying work for POSCO, the R &DM department has been engaged in constructing rehabilitation colony for the families who will be displaced for the proposed steel plant.

Source - Business Standard

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