States » EastPosted at: Oct 8 2026 6:44PM


Pradhan seeks protection of Odisha’s landless, project-affected families

Bhubaneswar, Oct 8 (UNI) Amid pending demands of displaced and project-affected families, Sambalpur MP and former union minister Dharmendra Pradhan called for faster rehabilitation and stressed that the rights and interests of affected and landless people must be protected.
Pradhan made the remarks while chairing a series of Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meetings on Wednesday in Angul to review the rehabilitation process and grievances of families affected by major mining and industrial projects.
Separate meetings were held on KPCL’s Mandakini-A coal mine, GMDC’s Baitarani West, NALCO’s Utkal-E and NALCO’s brownfield expansion projects. The meetings reviewed pending demands of displaced and affected families and discussed measures to expedite their rehabilitation.
Pradhan stressed the need for timely and adequate compensation, employment opportunities for local youth and basic amenities for affected families. He also said landless people should receive benefits under the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act.
Healthcare and education facilities in project-affected areas also figured in the discussions. Pradhan said NALCO’s CSR funds would be utilised to re-establish the LV Prasad Eye Hospital as a national-level healthcare facility.
Measures were also discussed to address private school fee-related issues, facilitate the education of local children through Saraswati Shishu Mandirs and deploy NALCO buses to ferry children from peripheral villages to schools.
Pradhan said that addressing people’s grievances and safeguarding their rights were key responsibilities of the government and administration. He reiterated that the interests of landless and project-affected families would be protected.
Dhenkanal MP Rudra Narayan Pani, MLAs from Angul, Chhendipada, Talcher and Pallahada, district Collectors and local public representatives attended the meetings.
UNI MK RSA
Tags: #Pradhan seeks protection of Odisha’s landless# project-affected families
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