Jobs, aid, housing announced for Jindal project-affected farmers

A key meeting to resolve the long-standing problems of farmers affected by the Jindal South West (JSW) project in S. Kota mandal of Vizianagaram district was held at Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha’s camp office in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, with the State government agreeing to a series of measures aimed at compensating those who lost land and homes to the project.

The meeting was chaired by the State Home Minister and Vizianagaram district in-charge Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, along with district Minister Kondapalli Srinivas. MLA Lalitha Kumari, MLC Raghuraju, other elected representatives, officials of the concerned departments, representatives of the Jindal company, and the affected farmers attended.

Participants discussed pending issues relating to farmers who had lost their land to the project, following which the government announced several decisions. Share amounts due to 82 farmers who had not yet received will be released, officials said. One member from every family that lost land to the project will be provided employment, while families that lost their homes will be allotted house sites of three cents each in Bandhavalasa village.

Farmers who lost land will also receive additional financial assistance of ₹2.5 lakh per acre. In Cheedipalem village, a decision was taken to sanction compensation to five persons who were occupants of land but whose names did not figure in the list of beneficiaries. Officials were directed to review the cases of 18 farmers relating to possession and title issues in accordance with rules.

On government land under occupation in Moolabuddavaram village, the meeting decided that D-pattas would be granted to eligible occupants once an assignment committee is constituted.

Farmers who attended the meeting expressed satisfaction over the government’s response and thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Ms. Anitha, Mr. Srinivas, and the other elected representatives for their intervention.