The compensation packages offered by Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) to the families being shifted from the Steel Plant’s land for its expansion, have brought fresh waves of hopes and aspiration for them. Till date Rourkela Steel Plant has given Rs. 2.92 crores to 71 families, while 29 persons have joined contractual jobs in the Steel Plant.
Ms. Anju Dung Dung, a resident of Kate basti, is one such beneficiary, whose life has taken a new turn because of the package. After completing her intermediate studies and an ANM course, Anju was surviving on a monthly wage of just Rs. 4,000 as an assistant at a nearby beauty salon. She was staying in a hutment without having the legal documents of the land. Her family has today received a financial compensation package and she has joined a contractual job in RSP with a starting salary of Rs. 22,500 along with all statutory benefits. Her family is also now eligible for medical benefits. With a steady income and renewed confidence, Anju’s ambition is to start afresh, to build a house of her own on the land provided by RSP and live a more dignified and stable life.
Anju’s story mirrors that of many families rehabilitated by RSP. Mr. Alok Xaxa, who is an under-matric, previously took on small jobs that barely covered daily expenses. Employed now with a secure salary and workplace benefits, Alok plans to build a pucca house on land allotted under the compensation package. He shares that once basic needs of roti, kapda aur makaan are met, a person can aspire to higher goals. He and his family are looking forward for a brighter future.
Housewife Mrs. Anita, who had no prior formal work experience, is another beneficiary who found livelihood through agency employment at the plant. Her eyes shine as she speaks of enrolling her children in good schools with her regular salary- a mother’s aspiration that was previously beyond reach. For many beneficiaries, access to steady income has changed not only economic reality but also life outlooks and family priorities.
The same hopes and energy resonate in the accounts of Mr. Asis Minz, Ms. Priyanka Minz, Ms. Veronica Lakra, Mr. Sameer Lakra, and many others whose lives have been changed for better because of the the rehabilitation programme.
RSP has provided transit shelters equipped with essential utilities to these families, easing the transition for families awaiting permanent accommodation. Plots earmarked for affected hutments are being prepared to welcome families, enabling construction of permanent homes and community rebuilding.
Rourkela Steel Plant’s compensation package is transforming the lives of the hutment dwellers from instability to security.
