Jamtara: Displaced families in Jamtara’s Ladhna area warned of blocking the main gate of the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) if their long-pending demands were not addressed. At a large meeting at the Sidhu-Kanhu Football Ground, residents opposed the proposed DVC solar project and raised questions over compensation, rehabilitation and the rights of families displaced during the construction of the Maithon Dam.
Displaced leader Robin Mirdha, who attended the meeting as the chief guest, said the affected families had been waiting for their rights for decades. He alleged that thousands of people from the area were displaced when the Maithon Dam was constructed in 1953. Protesters questioned the present distribution of benefits from the project and used the slogan “Our land, electricity to Bangladesh” to express their grievance. The claims regarding the displacement and pending rehabilitation were made by the protest leaders at the meeting.
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The protesters alleged that land submerged for the DVC project continued to be assessed for land revenue from displaced families. They also claimed that the names of some affected families were removed from the 1978 panel and demanded that a fresh list be prepared. Their demands included compensation, employment and rehabilitation benefits for eligible displaced families. The protesters said these issues should be settled before further work on the solar project proceeds.
CSR Benefits Demanded Before Solar Project Work
The meeting also saw opposition to what the protesters described as the possible displacement of local fishermen and other residents for the solar project. The displaced families demanded free electricity, clean drinking water, better education and healthcare facilities in every affected village through DVC’s CSR initiatives. They said construction of the Ladhna solar project should not proceed until the pending concerns of displaced families were addressed.
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Local leader Akbar Ansari also addressed the gathering and expressed support for the displaced families’ demands. Several other local representatives and community members, including Ashok Marandi, Mukhtar Ansari, Furkan Ansari, Prem Pandit, Gopal Pandit, Solan Mandal, Hemant Murmu, Sudhir Marandi and Ashok Murmu, attended the meeting. Hundreds of villagers were present as the protesters reiterated their warning of a DVC gate blockade if their demands remained unresolved.
