Tata Steel to pay Rs.27 crore to villagers
IANS India Private LimitedBy Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – Wed 21 Mar, 2012

Raipur, March 21 (IANS) Tata Steel, India`s largest private sector steel major, has still to pay over Rs.27 crore compensation amount to villagers in Chhattisgarh`s Bastar district to take over their land for setting up an integrated steel plant, the assembly was told Wednesday.

"Tata Steel is still due to make payment of Rs 27.35 crore compensation amount to the villagers. The company has so far paid Rs.42.07 crore," Revenue Minister Dayaldas Baghel told the house.

The minister said Tata Steel would require 2,044 hectares of land for setting up the steel plant. As the proposed plant area comes in a tribal belt, the state would acquire land on behalf of company and allot it on lease.

But the compensation has to be paid by the company, the minister said.

Tata Steel, whichn inked a pact with the Chhattisgarh government in June 2005, is setting up a 5.5 million tonne per annum steel plant in Lohandiguda area in Bastar, some 340 km south of Raipur.

Baghel said the Bastar administration had acquired 1,764 hectare of land from 1,707 land holders located in 10 villages between October 2007 and February 2008.