Raghubar Das orders committee for displaced people

RANCHI: Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Saturday announced to form a high level committee to look into the grievances of people who suffered displacement due to Bokaro steel plant and have not yet been adequately compensated.
Meeting more than 250 applicants at his residential office during the weekly janta durbar, he gave a patient hearing to the team of displaced people led by BJP MLA Yogeshwar Mahto Batul and Shankar Gope.
Das went through the documents presented by these leaders, related to claims of over 20,000 displaced people under BSL-Sanyukt visthapit parivar, to raise demands collectively.
Batul urged the CM to arrange employment for at least one member each of the 20, 000 displaced families, responding to which CM said that a high level committee would visit Bokaro for physical verification of the displaced families and give them jobs as per mandate of the government under rehabilitation and resettlement policy.
Shankar Gope informed the CM that SAIL is planning expansion of the BSL and the locals are sceptical. “Unless proper compensation and employment is given, the locals are not going to cooperate,” he said.
Complaint of similar nature came from Lohardaga where people are being evacuated for construction of Ring Road. Those who arrived to attend the durbar informed CM that they had willingly conceded to give away open land but some of the houses are being demolished and the people want an alternate arrangement for their dwelling.
Acknowledging the difficulty, Das ordered principal secretary of road construction, Rajbala Verma, to visit and ensure that no one suffers due to government project. “Secretary will be visiting on Monday to take a stock of the situation and do whatever is necessary to rehabilitate anyone whose house is coming under the road project,” he said.