Representations were received by the Commission from Lachhu Oram and others from Sundergarh District of Odisha, who pray for justice as after acquisition of their land, for establishment of Rourkela Steel Plant erstwhile Hindusan Steel Plant, due compensation was not paid, employment was not given to family members of displaced persons.

Around the world, 26.7 million hectares of agricultural land have been transferred into the hands of foreign investors since the year 2000. This means that these investors possess approximately 2 per cent of the arable land worldwide, or roughly the equivalent to the total area covered by United Kingdom and Slovenia together.

India’s strong environmental protection norms were meant to reduce the imbalance in negotiating positions between the promoters of industrial projects and those likely to be affected by them. Judged on that metric alone, they have largely met with failure.