The atmosphere was as charged as an election rally. Every participant wanted to be heard, all were eager to vote. On July 20, the villagers who were expected to hand over their land for Tata Steel’s proposed six million tonne per annum steel plant at Chhattisgarh had turned up in large number to attend a Gram Sabha in their village. The crucial approval of the Gram Sabha is mandatory, as per the Panchayati Raj Act, before the Company can be handed over the land for the Rs. 10,000 crore project.

For Tata Steel and the eight villages earmarked for the project, the day will remain etched in memory. The villagers, after being reassured of proper rehabilitation and a handsome compensation, gave their consent peacefully. In what the Company consider an act of faith and a show of trust in it, they voted to allow Tata Steel to take over their land in return for fair and just compensation. The Company’s subsidiary Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company Limited (JUSCO) has already built a model house for rehabilitation of the villagers and intends to quickly construct homes for all families displaced by the project.

Construction work for the project is expected to commence as soon as the state government completes the formalities for handing over the land, which is expected to take a few months.

“The path for industrialisation in Bastar is clear. Now, nothing can stop it from progressing. Today’s date should be etched in gold in the history of Bastar.”

Dr Raman Singh, Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh on being informed that eight Gram Sabhas had voted to hand over land to Tata Steel for its steel plant.