No Land for resettlement colony: MCL will give cash compensation in lieu of residential plot

Animesh Sahay

The Mahanadi coalfield limited has decided to purchase land from private owners to construct resettlement colony for displaced and mining affected people as government fails to provide non-forest land to the company. This was disclosed by the Chairman cum managing Director of the company Animesh Sahay on Wednesday. While speaking to the press and media persons on Wednesday, Sahay informed that the company sustains huge loss over past few years because of the delay in mining in the residential areas.  “Due to unavailability of land we are unable to evacuate the people residing in the mining area causing loss of production. But now government has allowed us to purchase private land where we would construct rehabilitation colony for resettlement purpose”, Sahay said.  Sahay pointed out that approximately 6500 families in Talcher areas and 1651 families in IB and Basundhara coalfields area are supposed to be affected in the current year. For their resettlement MCL needs huge area of land. So we have formulated a package for the affected people where they would ask to accept money in lieu of residential plot.

 

Sahaya informed that till 31st March MCL has provide 9986 jobs to the land losers out of which 919 jobs was created in the current 2010-11. “MCL is committed to its CSR activities and spending Rs.5 for ton of coal produced by the company on welfare on the people living in the periphery of the company which comes to Rs 55.29 crores in the year 2010-11”.sahaya added.  He informed that the coal production in Talcher area has been reduced but there is an increase in IB valley. 

On the other hand the company has planted 89,527 trees in 2010-11 and has proposed to plant 1, 83,053 in the current year as a responsibility towards the environmental protection, Sahay added. Claiming the highest income tax payer of the state, Sahay informed that the company has paid an amount of Rs 3170 crores to both state and central government as various tax and duty out of which Rs 14.40 crores was paid as income tax.