Kalinga Nagar Farmers Demand Fair Land Price

Affected farmers of Kalinga Nagar staged a demonstration outside the State Assembley  on 24th Nov,2010 under the banner of "Kalinga Nagar Jamihara Chasi Surakshya Sangh "[KNJCSS] demanding adequate compensation for their land given to different industries in Kalinga Nagar, Jajpur as per land acquisition by the State Govt.

Farmer of 20 revenue villages, more than thousands assembled and led a rally from Master Canteen square to Lower PMG where they organized a protest meeting later submitted a memorandum of demands to the Governor of Odisha.

The farmers were paid only 37 thousand per acre in 1992 after protest the price revised up to 1 lakh whereas nearby Tata Company is paying 4 lakh per acre. The Govt. is playing dirty game by dividing among the tribal and other land loser by providing different compensation for same pattern of land said Ramachandta Pahi, the president of the Sangh.

Initially they were promised to give a job for each land loser families and other peripheral development but the promise is still a dream. We are living in an unhealthy environmental atmosphere and acute shortage of drinking water due to exploration of ground water by the companies said Sk.Rahemtulla Khan one senior member of KNJCSS.

The Govt. should not forget January 2, 2006 incident where 12 tribal led down their lives by police firing in connection of opposing the construction of TATA Company’s boundary wall, if the govt. desires more bloodshed at the cost of our livelihood we are ready for that asserted KNJCSS General Secretary Dushmant Ghadei.

The meeting was addressed by eminent human rights defender Manoj Jena, Co convenor of Odisha Nagarika Samaj Er Lalitmohan Pattnaik, Farmers Leader Bijay Parida, Socialist Leader Debashis Mishra, Young Activist Sanjay Mohanty  and many more.  

Another Under Trail Prisoner [UTP] died in Jail

The callousness of the govt. of Odisha and the prison authorities add another Under Trail Prisoner (UTP) death on 17^th Nov 2010 that the figure crossed more than 8 UTP deaths in the last two months in different jails in Odisha.

Kailash Mallic, A 64 years old UTP of the Salepur sub-jail died under suspicious circumstances on Wedness day.

Kailash along with family members were booked under Sections 498-A, 304-B and 302 of IPC.

The family members of the deceased have alleged before local police and magistrate that the jail authorities neglected in providing proper treatment resulting in the untimely death.

Police sources reveals, one Kailash Mallick, of Durgapur village under Salepur PS, was a UTP in the sub-jail since August 31 after being arrested in a dowry death case.

Jail Superintendent Laxmi Mukhi informed that Mallick was suffering from hypertension in regular intervals. On Tuesday night, as he once again developed hypertension, he was rushed to the Salepur PHC for treatment where he succumbed to his ailment.

On the other hand, PHC doctor Susanta Panda stated that the UTP was received dead in the hospital.

As both the versions contradicted, the deceased’s eldest daughter Chapala blamed the negligence of jail authorities.

HC says no to Vedanta Versity

The Rs 15,000 crore World class Vedanta University project in Odisha received a body blow.

The Odisha High Court on 16 November has declared the land acquisition for the Vedanta University project is illegal and ordered that the land be returned to the original owners.

The Vedanta University has acquired 6000 acres of land from the Puri Jaganath Temple and other Government land for the project.

"The State Government would take a view on the verdict once the copy of the judgement is available", said the Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.

The Higher Education Minister, Debi Prasad Mishra, however, defended the Vedanta University Bill stating that all the due procedures were followed in getting the Bill passed in the State Legislative Assembly, one and half years ago.

However till date the Bill has not received the assent of the Governor of Odisha.

There were two PILs and six individual petitions before the High Court challenging the land acquisition procedures, and the formation of company.

The PILs and petitions had also pointed out that the project will have debilitating effect on the coastal ecology of the area.

Disposing off the PIL and petitions filed by BJP leader Uma Bllava Rath and others, a division bench of the High Court comprising of Chief Justice V.Gopalgowda and Justice Bimal Prasad Das, has termed the land acquisition illegal and directed the company to return the awarded the land to the original owners.

Two senior advocates of Orissa High court, Jayanta Das and Subir Palit, appeared on behalf of petitioners in the case.

According to the advocates, the main contention of the petitions was that the land acquisition was in violation of the Land Acquisition Company Rules, 1963, the company was not formed as per the Companies Act 1956.

Moreover, they said, the PIL also pointed out that the university project would effect the local bio-diversity and it would have debilitating impact on the sensitive coastal eco-system of the state.

The first nail on the coffin of Vedanta University project was hammered by the Odisha Lok Pal which passed an adverse order against the land acquisition procedure for the project.

The second blow came, when the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) withdrew the environment clearance immediately after it accorded to the project.