Jaybudia Villagers boycott public hearing for rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) of Vedanta’s Kudaloi (A) Coal block in Lakhanpur

Jharsuguda: Villagers of Jaybudia in Jharsuguda district boycotted a public hearing organised by the district administration on Friday to discuss the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plan for Vedanta’s Kudaloi (A) North Coal Block, demanding acquisition of their entire village instead of land in patches.

While villagers of Banjari participated in a separate public hearing and placed various demands before the administration, extending conditional support to the project, most of the villagers did not attend the meeting scheduled at Jaybudia under Kudaloi panchayat in Lakhanpur block.

The protesting villagers alleged that their repeated representations to the district collector, Odisha revenue minister and northern division revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) had failed to yield any response.

“Jaybudia comprises hamlets spread across Banjari, Bartap and Kudaloi revenue villages, where around 375 families have been living for generations. Nearly 80% of the residents belong to Scheduled Tribe communities,” said Gopinath Majhi, a villager.

He said the proposed land acquisition had created uncertainty among families as only portions of their properties were being acquired.

“In several cases, agricultural land is being acquired while houses are being left out. In other cases, residential properties are being acquired while farmland remains untouched. As a result, several affected families are being excluded from Category A rehabilitation and compensation benefits,” Majhi alleged.

He said Jaybudia was surrounded by commercial coal mines, making it increasingly difficult for residents to sustain their livelihoods.

“We demand that the entire village be acquired in one phase and all affected families be brought under Category A to receive full compensation and rehabilitation benefits under the applicable R&R policy.  Until our demands are met, we will continue to boycott the public hearings,” Majhi said.

Jharsuguda sub-collector Sabyasachi Panda said the administration had scheduled public hearings at two locations under Lakhanpur block to discuss the R&R plan for the Kudaloi (A) North Coal Block. “The public hearing at Banjari was conducted successfully. However, the meeting at Jaybudia could not be held due to lack of quorum. A fresh date will be fixed for conducting the hearing,” Panda said.