1 week ago
Biriguda Families Await Displacement Status After 19-Year Rehabilitation Dispute
Biriguda Colony is home to families who were moved there by the government in 1975.
Many more families now live on the land than were originally moved.
A proposed Aditya Alumina project may need the land where the colony stands.
The families say they should be officially treated as displaced people before they move.
They also want the rehabilitation benefits promised under government policy.
Officials discussed the issue several times, including in 2011 and 2013, but no final settlement was reached.
A 2023 report found about 124 households still living there.
A new government group will study the case and make recommendations within two months.
Families in Biriguda Colony have awaited a final resettlement and rehabilitation decision since the proposed Aditya Alumina project raised displacement concerns.
The settlement originated in a 1975 government rehabilitation exercise that moved 45 families from the original Biriguda village.
Official records identified 114 families in 2008 and 124 households by February 2013 living on 1.77 acres of government land.
Families have sought recognition as Displaced Persons and benefits under Odisha’s Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2006, before leaving the colony.
A new subcommittee will examine the issue and submit recommendations within two months before the matter returns to the RPDSC for a final decision.
- Who
- Families living in Biriguda Colony, government officials, project authorities and Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee members.
- What
- The families are seeking recognition as Displaced Persons and resettlement and rehabilitation benefits before the colony is vacated.
- Where
- Biriguda Colony, on about 1.77 acres of government land in Biriguda village, in the Koraput-Rayagada region of Odisha.
- When
- The settlement began in 1975; the issue was discussed in 2011, 2013 and December 2023, and resurfaced at the fifth RPDSC meeting.
- Why
- The Aditya Alumina Project authorities have said the land is needed for the project and have sought its acquisition.
Families’ demands
Project and administrative process
Recognition before displacement
Families’ demands
Biriguda representatives say families should be formally recognised as Displaced Persons and receive rehabilitation benefits before being asked to vacate the colony.
Project and administrative process
Project authorities recorded that the 1.77 acres was needed for the Aditya Alumina Project and that the families would consequently have to be displaced.
Land documentation
Families’ demands
Families say they received documents for homestead land instead of formal pattas, leaving their legal and rehabilitation status disputed.
Project and administrative process
Official records describe the colony as occupying government land classified as Patita and record a project requisition for its alienation.
Resolution timeline
Families’ demands
Families insist their long-pending demands be settled before relocation and say the issue remains unresolved despite earlier discussions.
Project and administrative process
The administration has acknowledged the delay and is pursuing a subcommittee review before making a final decision through the RPDSC.
Key facts
- Original rehabilitation
- In 1975, 45 families were reportedly shifted from the original Biriguda village to the present colony.
- Colony land
- The settlement covers approximately 1.77 acres of government land classified as Patita under Khata No. 81 and Plot Nos. 414 and 415.
- Households identified
- A 2008 joint inquiry identified 114 families; official proceedings recorded 124 households by February 2013.
- Families’ demand
- The families want recognition as Displaced Persons and benefits under the Odisha Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2006.
- 2023 report
- A December 22, 2023 report by the Tahsildar, Laxmipur, referred to approximately 124 households still living on the land.
- Next step
- A subcommittee of the Koraput and Rayagada Collectors, the Special Land Acquisition Officer and concerned Sub-Collectors will submit recommendations within two months.
Sources
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