Sunday, January 15 2006 11:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhubaneswar: Amidst the cry for proper compensation and restoration of their land by people in areas where industrialisation was taking place in the state, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has turned to the Centre to resolve the issues where the central government was involved.

Patnaik had written a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 11 last urging him to intervene and settle the dispute between land ousters and the Rourkela Steel Plant at Rourkela.

The chief minister dashed off another letter to Singh yesterday seeking his intervention in resolving the problems faced by people displaced by the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd, official sources said.

The land ousters had served an ultimatum on the administration that they would launch an economic blockade if their demands were not fulfilled by January 16.

The MCL has collieries in Talcher area of Angul district and Brajarajnagar area of Jharsugda district.

Though the MCL has been acquiring land for opening up new coal mines, the displaced people had not been compensated, in some cases, for 25 to 30 years, he pointed out.

The central undertaking was also causing resentment among the people by acquiring the land through notification much before it actually requires it. This results in the owner of the land not being able to use it for their urgent requirement, the chief minister said.