Keonjhar: The land acquisition process for the proposed mega steel plant in Keonjhar district progressed further on Friday with the successful conclusion of the fourth Gram Sabha in Dhanurjaypur village under Patna block.
The meeting was held to seek public opinion on the acquisition of land for the project, which is being developed jointly by JSW Steel and POSCO. The proposed plant, with an annual production capacity of 5 million tonnes, entails an investment of around ₹40,000 crore.
During the Gram Sabha, discussions were held on the acquisition of 57.110 acres of private land spread across 169 plots under 44 khatas in Dhanurjaypur village, under Chemana Gram Panchayat. In addition, 23.480 acres of government land will also be acquired. Overall, nearly 45 per cent of the village’s land is set to be taken over for the project.
The villagers submitted a 37-point charter of demands to the administration. Key among them is compensation of ₹50 crore per acre for land losers, along with provisions for employment and other rehabilitation measures.
The Gram Sabha was presided over by the Chemana Sarpanch and attended by local administrative officials.
This marks the fourth successful Gram Sabha out of a total of 12 planned for the project. The consultations are being conducted across 12 villages—eight under Chemana Panchayat and four under Jamunapashi Panchayat—where a total of 2,466 acres of land is proposed to be acquired.
Despite concerns over land acquisition, local residents reportedly showed enthusiasm about the project, which is expected to boost industrial development and employment opportunities in the mineral-rich district.
