This story is from June 16, 2014

Job cry after villagers lose land to project

The Jharia rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plan is proving to be a double-edged sword fuelling protests in areas where the resettlement authority has acquired land.
Job cry after villagers lose land to project
SINDRI: The Jharia rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plan is proving to be a double-edged sword fuelling protests in areas where the resettlement authority has acquired land.
People, who gave up their land for the construction of 98,000 apartments under the Jharia Resettlement and Development Authority, have been threatening to intensify protest if their demand for jobs in lieu of land is not fulfilled.
Residents of Belgaria and Baliapur have stalled construction work despite Sindri DSP Ramashankar Singh's warning, said police.
The Centre had approved plans to construct over 98,000 flats in Belgaria for rehabilitating families living in the fire zone of Jharia coalfield. While the construction of nearly 2,000 flats are complete in the first phase, construction in the second phase has been hit following violent protests by villagers agitating under the banner Zameen Bachao Morcha.
"Villagers pressing for employment have on many occasions staged violent protests and chased away construction workers and other officials," police said. Now that the protests are yielding no result, villagers want their land back.
When contacted, Jharia Rehabilitation & Development Authority (JRDA) official Gopaljee said the state government had acquired nearly 49.93 acres of land in Belgaria some 20 years ago for rehabilitation and it was agreed upon by BCCL that it would provide 62 jobs in lieu of the land acquired. So far BCCL has provided employment to 54 villagers.
and the rest of the employment are not being given due to family dispute, he informed adding that the coking coal major is still ready to prove jobs to land owning villagers provided they submit land papers along with family decision on whom to be employed.

On Monday when construction work started a fresh in presence of large contingent of police force, the villagers raised objections and were invited for talks in Baliapur PS in the evening. DSP Rama Shankar Singh, BDO Prakash Kumar, JRDA in-charge Gopaljee and other police officials assured villagers that they would apprise senior district and state officials about their sentiments but they should not take law into their hands.
However villagers led by Anil Ashutosh Mahto, Rajkishore Mahto, Jethu Mahto, Jaypati Gope, Hariram Rawani, Mohan Murmu and others were not convinced and announced to continue their agitation till fulfilment of their demands. It is a conspiracy to dislodge them from their land and homes in the name of land acquisition, they alleged.
Meanwhile construction work continued peacefully on Tuesday as no villager came forward to lodge their protest.
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