Rourkela: The district collector of Sundargarh, its superintendent of police and the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) have been directed to file Action Taken Reports (ATRs) by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) after a tribal was crushed to death by an earthmover at the Barkani village on April 19 this year.
The NCST took suo motu cognizance of the incident that occurred during a protest by tribals against a proposed railway line by the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). The proposed line is to extend up to Dumerta.
Tribals have claimed that Eto Ekka was deliberately run over by the earthmover. There was considerable unrest in the area after the incident, with locals refusing to let go of the body. The earthmover driver was also assaulted.
Budhua Lakra, a resident of Dumerta Barkani has submitted a memorandum to the NCST, claiming that his ancestral land was affected due to land acquisition for Hindustan Steel Limited (now Rourkela Steel Plant) several decades ago. Despite this, no compensation was ever determined or paid.
Lakra alleged that RSP authorities recently destroyed the agricultural land, cultivated by his family, and began constructing a railway line over it. This, he said, was done in violation of directions issued by NCST member Jatothu Hussain, who had instructed both the local administration and RSP officials to halt any construction activity until further instructions from the Commission.
