The CPI, which was supportive of the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government in Jharkhand, has decided to stage agitation later this month against the state government's delay in setting up the displacement commission.
CPI Jharkhand secretary Mahendra Pathak on Wednesday criticised the state government for not setting up a displacement commission and not implementing in letter and spirit provisions of the Land Acquisition Act 2013.
“We do support the pro-people policies of the state government but it has been more than three years of the government formation and it has failed to even constitute a state displacement commission. We do not see any intent of the government in implementing the Land Acquisition Act 2013 of returning land acquired for industrial purposes even after several thousand acres have been lying unused for more than five years. All these issues have forced us to protest against the government,” said Pathak.
He announced that CPI and other like-minded parties will be staging a demonstration in front of the Raj Bhavan on June 28 and submit a memorandum to the governor to suggest the government for early constitution of the displacement commission and for implementing provisions of the Land Acquisition Act 2013.
“The state has not been able to form any policy for rehabilitation of displaced people (people displaced from their land for setting up industries and other infrastructure work). It has failed to frame a recruitment policy for the locals too. We see people agitating against the acquisition of lands for coal mines and other industries in different parts of Jharkhand by corporate groups. We want to raise our voice for the displaced persons and protect the water, forest and land of the poor,” said CPI senior leader and former Hazaribagh MP Bhubaneshwar Mehta.
Ranchi district CPI secretary Ajay Singh said that displaced people were deprived of justice because of the lack of a functional displacement commission in the state.