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| Muthuraman: Sparing a thought |
Jamshedpur, March 1: Life will now come a full circle for inhabitants of Rapcha village in Seraikela-Kharsawan, who are living in abject poverty after having given up their ancestral lands to Tatas for setting up an industry.
Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (Aiada) and Tata Steel have decided to come together and convert the village, located in the Gamharia circle in Seraikela-Kharsawan, into a model one.
Residents of Rapcha had given up their land to the steel behemoths about four decades back for establishing a Tata Rolls industry. The Tatas had then shifted about 200 displaced families to Rapcha from their home in Kolebira.
Aiada chairman Lakshman Tudu met B. Muthuraman, the managing director of Tata Steel, this evening, and discussed the blueprint of making Rapcha a model village.
?I told Muthuraman that the house of Tatas has been undertaking social activities not only in the state but also elsewhere in the country. They must now come forward and help us convert Rapcha into a model village. Muthuraman has readily agreed to my proposal and assured me of all possible help,? Tudu said after the meeting.
The Aiada chairman also admitted that villagers of Rapcha have so far languished under colossal poverty, particularly during the regime of the erstwhile Bihar government, when Aiada had turned away from them.
?They even lacked the basic amenities. It was only after the creation of the new state that we built roads and a community hall for them. But a lot more still needs to be done,? Tudu informed.
Aiada?s initiative in Rapcha comes at a time when Tata Steel has proposed to set up a 12-million tonne greenfield steel plant at Tontoposhi in Seraikela-Kharsawan.
The project will call for land and local people are rife with apprehensions about their rehabilitation and future. Cynics feel that the move is aimed at wooing the villagers of Tontoposhi and send them the right vibes about rehabilitation.
But Tudu shrugged off such conjectures. ?Aiada cannot shrug off its social responsibility of ensuring that the displaced villagers are not sidestepped any more,? Tudu claimed.