Jamshedpur Tata Steel: MLA Saryu dharna for civic facilities in non-company areas

Jamshedpur, May 17: Jamshedpur East MLA and former cabinet minister Saryu Roy staged a dharna along with supporters in front of Jamshedpur collectorate on Tuesday to protest against Tata Steel not providing civic amenities in non-company areas in violation of lease agreement.

Later Saryu Roy also handed over a memorandum addressed to chief minister Hemant Soren through East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Vijay Jadhav.

As per the memorandum, the Tata Lease Agreement mentions in detail the civic amenities provided by the company. It is also mentioned that the company will provide these facilities to the citizens of Jamshedpur at its own cost and will charge the same fee from the citizens as the Jharkhand government will fix for its municipalities from time to time. But there is no provision in the agreement that if a citizen has any complaint regarding public facilities, then where will he go for its redressal? The MLA has requested that it should be arranged immediately.

“As per the lease renewal agreement signed between the government of Jharkhand and Tata Steel (in the year 2005) the issues concerning the civic amenities of the denizens here should be addressed effectively by the company,” said Roy.

The MLA cites that despite several meeting with Tata Steel company and the government on improving civic facilities in non-company areas and formulate a joint plan but it was not successful.

“The Tata lease agreement is going to be 37 years old and it is going to be renewed for 17 years. But till date public facilities have not reached all the areas of Jamshedpur. There is a severe lack of essential civic amenities like water, electricity, sanitation, sewerage. While staying in Jamshedpur, I visit the areas of Tata Lease area and the areas outside Tata Lease every day where facilities are not at par as in Tata Steel area,” said Roy.

He has also demanded a cleanliness drive to be carried out at pace in the slum areas and fresh drinking water. He said the directives given by the state government as per the Tata Lease agreement for providing civic amenities to the people of lease areas have not been implemented. The agreement required the company to provide various facilities to the people of the city. He said that the lease agreement on civic amenities issue should be amended or else the city will not be worth living in the next 20 years.

“We have expressed concerns several times that Jusco should provides civic services in the city is not providing quality services and the people are reeling under lack of basic facilities. Our demand is that the company should also provide such services like pure drinking water, maintenance of roads, and cleanliness and better drainage system in non-company areas too for greater and better Jamshedpur,” noted the legislator from Jamshedpur East.