India: JSW announces compensation package for Odisha steel plant

Sajjan Jindal-led JSW steel has offered a compensation package for land being acquired for its greenfield integrated steel plant in Jagatsinghpur, Odisha.

JSW Steel has identified 2950.31 acres of land out of the 4000 acres earmarked earlier for the South Korean steelmaker which pulled out of the project in March 2017 after waiting for almost a decade.

This area continues to see resistance from project affected in the villages of Nuagaon, Gada Kujang and Dhinkia who have cultivated betel leaves for decades on what is government land and stand to be affected.

In a statement the company claimed it was offering way more than what government rates prescribed under the Rehabilitation & Resettlement Policy-2006 of the state government:

For loss of betel vines, the company has compensation of Rs 17500 per decimal, (above the government rate of Rs 6,000 per decimal) and an additional bonus of Rs 50,000 per betel vine provided it is demolished within a fortnight of announcement in the said village. And also, a compensation of Rs 6000 per decimal to all the old betel vine owners in the project area who have earlier received Rs 11,500 per decimal.

Eight villages who will lose land -Polang, Bayanalakandha, Jatadhara, Nuagaon, Gobindpur, Patana, Dhinkia and Mahala to the project - will get Rs 88,000 as one-time financial assistance and Rs 44,000 after the boundary wall of the project has completed.

JSW Steel plans 13.2 MTPA capacity along with a 900 MW captive power plant, 10 MT cement plant and 12 MTPA jetty near the port town of Paradip with an investment of Rs 50,000 crore. proposes to build promises to employ locals. Forest clearance (FC) granted to the previous project has been transferred to this proposed integrated steel plant, which awaits an Environment clearance (EC) from the Centre.