Rehabilitation measures for the Project Affected Persons

Along with the issue of industrial land use, the issue regarding

compensation and rehabilitation of the PAPs is relevant.

Large tracts of contiguous land are required for
setting up industries thereby necessitating land acquisition.

The State Government has attempted to locate land for

industry with a focus to minimizing displacement of
families from their homestead land. In addition to the availability of
uncultivable/barren land, the location of industries is also

determined by factors such as connectivity, availability

of water and power. Due to land constraint in the State
and unavailability of appropriate industrial infrastructure

in all districts, agricultural land has been used for industrial

purpose in some cases. Appropriate compensation
towards land and provision of alternate livelihood to the

PAPs has been ensured in
such cases.

The issues pertaining to rehabilitation shows variation based

on the location,nature and quantum of land involved in the

project. There is sufficient scope of continuously evolving

and improving the rehabilitation strategy with field experience,
felt needs and exchange of ideas, the underlying objective being

the overall socioeconomic development of the area, provision

of alternative livelihood and an improvement in the quality of

the living of the PAPs. Successful implementation of
rehabilitation programmes is critical to accelerate and sustain

industrial growth in West Bengal and the object is therefore

to create a model of inclusive development in
consultation with the academicians, industry, government

and all stakeholders.

Some key features of rehabilitation for PAPs

in industrial projects

The intent of State Government is to create a favourable

environment so that the PAPs can participate in the

growth process and avail of the employment opportunities
created through industrialization. Some of the components

of the rehabilitation initiatives that have been taken up by

the State Government are common to all large
projects which have been finalized or are in the pipeline.

It has been ensured that the clause for provision for vocational

training, alternate livelihood and access to basic
amenities by the concerned industry is built into the agreement

itself. The key features of the rehabilitation measures include

inter alia payment of appropriate compensation towards

land to land losers and bargadars, capacity
building to assist the PAPs to avail of opportunities created

through industrialization thereby providing alternate livelihood

and the overall development of the area through community

development initiatives.

• Compensation towards land/re-settlement

􀂾 Payment of compensation at the higher side of the prevailing market rate
depending upon the character of land with 30% solatium and interest over and
above the land value

􀂾 Payment to bargadars at the rate of 25% of the total compensation paid to the
owner of the land, which is more than the stipulated six times the annual
value of the crops as per the LA Act, 1894

􀂾 Payment of 25% of the total compensation to the non-recorded bargadars after
enquiry

􀂾 Resettlement of families whose homestead land has been identified for
acquisition through the construction of dwelling houses in close proximity of
original place of residence in accordance with G.O no.1706-LA-3M-07/06
dated 6th June,2006 of the Land & Land Reforms Department, Govt. of West
Bengal

􀂾 Additional 10% incentive to willing landowners

• Capacity building of PAPs

􀂾 Dissemination of information regarding livelihood opportunities likely to be
created with operationalisation of the concerned industry

􀂾 Necessary counseling to assist them to transit from agricultural occupation to
non-agricultural occupations and participate in the growth process

􀂾 Identify the alternate livelihood and non-agricultural activities

􀂾 Provide adequate training for equipping the PAPs to avail of the employment
opportunities

􀂾 Facilitate self employment through training, providing credit linkage and
construction of commercial stalls

􀂾 Facilitate Self Help Groups for availing opportunities arising from outsourcing
of some activities by concerned industries with special focus on women.

• Community Development initiatives in the Project Affected Area

􀂾 Improve and upgrade road connectivity

􀂾 Provide access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities

􀂾 Provide access to health facilities

􀂾 Provide access to education

Rehabilitation initiatives taken/proposed to be

taken in large projects in West Bengal

• Integrated Iron & Steel Plants-some key features

A large number of investors have evinced interest in setting up steel plants in the
State. The Government of West Bengal has entered or is the process of entering into
an agreement with them. Some of the key projects are the Jindal Steel and Shyam
Steel in Paschim Medinipur district, Bhushan Steel, Videocon and Abhijeet Steel in
Burdwan district, the Jai Balaji Group, Adhunik Steel and Shyam Steel in Purulia
district. In its agreement with all the Steel companies, the State Government has built
in the clause that the industry shall at its cost provide a rehabilitation, resettlement or
suitable employment package for the land losers whose land is to be acquired or
purchased for the Project and other Project Affected Persons. This will include setting
up new facilities and infrastructure and strengthening existing facilities and
infrastructure in relation to vocational training, education, self employment schemes
for the women, self help groups and social welfare measures such as healthcare,
crèches, drinking water sources and sanitation for PAPs. The rehabilitation and
resettlement package has to be commenced and implemented along with the
construction of the Steel Plants. The industry shall abide by and implement the
resettlement and rehabilitation package in consultation with the Government of West
Bengal. The industry may also utilise the services of the local Employment Exchange
for employment. The industry shall in consultation with GOWB, finalise and
announce the said package within a period of 6 (six) months from the identification of
the Project Land or 1 (one) year from the date of signing the agreement, whichever is
earlier.

• New Kolkata International Development (NKID)

-some key features

􀂾 Construction of Commercial Blocks with shops/stalls adjacent to roads for
allotment to land losers

􀂾 Four Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) for providing vocational training
free of cost to 5000 students/year. Maintenance and operation of the VTCs for
5 years by the Developer

􀂾 Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Industrial Estates in
different locations adjoining the road for allotment to medium and small scale
industries.

• Tata Small Car Factory, Singur

A Camp Office of WBIDC at Singur was set up in October 2006 with a view to
registering the names of the PAPs i.e., land losers and bargadars whose land had been
acquired for the project and landless agricultural labourers. Initially, WBIDC took the
initiative of capacity building of the PAPs by providing them appropriate training in
order to develop or upgrade the skills of the affected persons for availing of the job
opportunities likely to be created both locally as well as outside the project area
through forward and backward linkages. The rehabilitation strategy was therefore
multi pronged and built upon the premise that the skills of the PAPs may be
developed/upgraded in the best available technical institutions so as to enable them to
(i) avail of the local job opportunities that are likely to be created with the setting up
of TML plant and (ii) certified training may be provided to persons in areas with high
job potential to make them capable of availing job opportunities in any place. In the
process, a number of training institutions have been identified to impart suitable
training to the registered land losers/land less persons who were selected on the basis
of their suitability (aptitude, age, sex, educational qualification) to particular
categories of training.

Registration of PAPs as on 21.09.07

1. Total registered land-losers

Total registered landless persons
Total:
2338
586
2924

2. Persons covered under various Training Programmes

a) Completed
b) Ongoing(including18 trainees at TML, Jamshedpur)
c) Planned
Total :
448
356
805
1609

Technical Training:

Anticipating a significant demand of technically trained personnel likely to arise with
the operationalisation of the TML plant at Singur, 176 persons were nominated by
WBIDC for undergoing a four months’ course at RKM Shilpa Mandir, Belur Math in
November, 2006.In order to provide quality modular training in relevant trades to
meet the requirements of the auto industry, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
was entered into between the Department of Technical Education and Training
(DTET), Government of West Bengal, WBIDC and TML on 25th April,2007 for
imparting class room training as per syllabus prepared by the Directorate of Industrial
Training in consultation with TML and approved by the State Certificate for
Vocational Training, West Bengal. A total of 279 trainees including 169 trainees
previously trained in RKM Shilpa Mandir were selected amongst the PAPs for
undergoing training at Ramkrishna Mission Shilpa Mandir, Howrah, Howrah homes
and Hooghly ITI. It was also agreed by the DTET that a short version of the course
would be designed for the persons who have already undergone the training in Belur
Math.

After successful completion of the training in the ITIs, the students will be
awarded the State Council for Vocational Training (SCVT) Certificate and thereafter
undergo factory training in the TML plant at Singur for 18 months, on completion of
which they would be eligible for the award of the National Council for Vocational
Training (NCVT) Certificate. It is expected that after successful completion of the
training, the students will be absorbed in the mother plant or in the ancillary units.
Another MoU on similar lines as the one signed on 24th April, 2007 was
signed between TML and WBIDC for providing training to 59 persons at ATI
Dasnagar (Govt. of India organization) on 14th May,2007. A third MoU was signed on
the 18th of September, 2007 between DTET, WBIDC and TML for training 101
persons from land loser families.

Other Trainings:

In addition to technical training, training was imparted in catering, tailoring, masonry,
computer hardware/MIS/call center and apparel manufacturing. The women trained in
catering are now operating the kitchen at Singur and providing cooked meals to the
project officials. The women trained by Singer in tailoring have since received orders
from TML for uniforms. All persons trained jointly by CII and WBIDC in masonry
are working on site. Due to practical problems, the PAPs have shown little interest to
travel to Kolkata/other places for work and therefore only a small number of persons
trained by NIIT in Hardware, MIS and Call Center/BPO and by Apparel Training
Development Centre in apparel manufacturing have been employed.

Community Development initiatives

A comprehensive drainage scheme has been implemented in Singur with the reexcavation
of Julkia river and construction of drainage infrastructure around the
project area to reduce water logging in the surrounding areas. In order to provide
access to villages surrounding the project area, two by-pass roads have been
constructed. In order to provide access to clean drinking water, 87 tubewells were resunk
and 100 tubewell platforms constructed in the project affected areas across 3
Gram Panchayats.97 ladies bathrooms have been constructed in the project affected
area. Repairing , renovation and reconstruction works were carried out in the school
building of Beraberi Suryanarayan Memorial High School.

• Kolkata Leather Complex

􀂾 1 acre of land has been earmarked for development of a market and the
construction of market stalls for land losers has since commenced

􀂾 Construction of a resettlement colony for the displaced families of the
Bederhait village and dwelling units provided free of cost along with related
facilities such as water, electricity, sewerage and drainage etc.

􀂾 3 training programmes are scheduled to be organized for the project affected
persons:

(i) Training for leather goods by the Indian Leather Product
Association(ILPA)
(ii) Training in tanning methods organized by Calcutta Leather Complex
Tanneries Association (CLTA) with the support of Council of leather
Exports (CLE) and ASSOMAC, Italy
(iii) Training on a variety of trades by the CII to increase employability of the
land losers

SOURCE: www.wbidc.com