If anybody is talking about Adani other than Rahul Gandhi, it is the poor villagers of Godda in Jharkhand who feel the power major’s “carrot-and-stick approach” to get land from them has left them in the lurch over compensation and other benefits.
Three-term MP from Godda Lok Sabha seat Nishikant Dubey is facing rumblings of discontent for his silence on the Adani Power plant’s alleged “breach of trust”.
“They took away our land and gave us money. However, they have not given us jobs or any monetary compensation other than the money for the land. They have also
not given us free electricity,” rued Digam Laiya, 70, of Ranitikar village under Motia panchayat in the Godda Lok Sabha constituency, a few hundred metres from the Adani Power plant.
The septuagenarian said the company paid ₹65 lakh for his one-bigha land but his son was not given a job as promised.
Another villager from neighbouring Gangta under the same panchayat alleged that the groundwater level started plummeting once the plant was made operational.
“They (Adani officials) had assured free electricity to those residing within a 7km radius of the plant and permanent jobs to the locals. We get only outsourced jobs for short spans,” said Sonelal Hembrom, 45, of Gangta village under Motia panchayat
in Godda.
Hembrom said there’s rampant air pollution because of fly ash and the groundwater table had depleted too. “We now have to bore more than 200ft to get water. Adani has gone back on its promises made before the start of the plant. There has been no response from the MP either on our complaints made to him regarding these issues,” he added.
Chintamani Sahu, the convener of the Bhumi Bachao Sangarsh Samity which spearheaded a fight against land acquisition by Adani Power in 2015-16, alleged that the high-yield deep boring done around the power plant has led to groundwater depletion and also blamed the plant for the fly ash choking the air.
A Ranchi-based Adani Power spokesperson said: “The company has fulfilled the commitment to all the stakeholders and is bound to do so in the near future as well, including 400MW off-take power to the state.”
The spokesperson said the company had provided more than 75 per cent of the jobs to locals, as mandated by the state government.
The INDIA bloc-backed Congress candidate from Godda, Pradeep Yadav, said if he wins, he would raise these issues in Parliament.
“I took part in the agitation against land acquisition for the power plant and had to go to jail. I know the water problem and breach of trust by the corporate sector in terms of giving permanent jobs to locals and providing free electricity. If elected, my priority would be to raise the issues in Parliament and ensure that the benefits reach the villagers,” said Yadav.
He also questioned the silence of the sitting MP on these issues.
“Our MP takes the credit for bringing railways to Godda (the Godda-New Delhi Humsafar Express was the first train to be flagged off from the Godda railway station in April 2021), AIIMS and the airport in Deoghar. But he seems to have forgotten about the grievances of these villagers. Why is he silent on the problems faced by the land losers?” asked Yadav.
Pritam Gadia, the media in-charge of Nishikant Dubey, said the villagers had not sent any complaints to the MP.
“They should have brought their complaints to the MP and he would have certainly taken it up with Adani officials. They should lodge their complaints with our party’s block-level heads or district officials. They can also directly message the MP on his number. He is among the few MPs who are fighting the polls on the basis of his achievements,” said Gadia.
Dubey from Bhagalpur in Bihar has been representing Godda since 2009. He had defeated Pradeep Yadav by over 1.84 votes in 2019 when he had fought on a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik ticket after an understanding between the JMM, Congress and the RJD for the seat, which has sizable ST voters (22 per cent). The Yadavs and Muslims comprise 12 and 24 per cent of voters respectively.
Godda votes on June 1
