The government’s cup of woes with regard to the much-hyped Posco project seem to be brimming over. Even as the anti-Posco activists have forced the Jagatsinghpur district administration to stop land acquisition for the project at Gobindpur and Dhinkia, the project supporters, who had assisted the officials in an almost trouble-free land acquisition in Gadakujang and Nuagaon panchayats, are now peeved with the administration for non-fulfilment of their long-standing demands.
Irate villagers under the banner of United Action Committee (UAC), a pro-Posco outfit, today stopped the construction work of Posco rehabilitation colony at Polang and sand leveling work at Nuagaon and Gadkujanga areas for non-fulfilment of their six-point charter of demands. They have threatened to intensify their stir if the issues are not resolved immediately.
UAC also expressed its solidarity with nearly 1,500 betel vine labourers who were living in a critical condition due to non-payment of maintenance allowance and other benefits after one moth of demolition of their betel vines.
The six-point charter of demands of UAC included measurement of betel vines from “stay to stay” instead of “fence to fence”, raising the compensation for betel vine workers from 20 to 30 per cent of the amount being paid to the vine owners, provision of job to each of the 3,000 project-affected family of Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats, increasing the price of agricultural and homestead land, giving contract work to the local contractors during construction and paying compensation to the beneficiaries who had demolished their betel vines after the 2008 survey.
UAC had agreed to cooperate in the land acquisition process after the Revenue Divisional Commissioner, central range, Pradipta Mohapatra assured them to fulfil their demands after discussion with the state government. Though the administration, with UAC’s help, has demolished nearly 650 betel vines.