Villagers protest Posco boundary wall construction

Create barricade at entry point of project site to stop entry of construction contractors

Angry villagers of Nuagaon today protested the construction of boundary wall of proposed steel plant of Posco-India in Jagatsinghpur district, along with some project supporters, who took part in the agitation separately demanding early redressal of compensation claims.

The villagers of Nuagoan, which lies on the road to Posco site, created barricade at the entry point of the project site to prohibit entry of the construction contractors. However, when the workers of the contracting agency tried to resume construction by forcibly entering the area, irate villagers ransacked the boundary line pillars.

Local police expressed its ignorance about the incident saying no complaint was filed from either side.

“Police is unaware about today’s incident because no one has yet lodged FIR about the ransacking of boundary line pillars of Posco project”, said Anirudha Routray, Inspector In-charge of Abhyachandpur police station.

In a separate agitation, hundreds of pro-Posco activists under the banner of Sidha Gumpha Forest Committee, assembled at the construction site and demolished the boundary line pillars in Nuagaon. Later, they planted aloe vera plants at the spot to create barricade to restrict the entry of the contractors.

The boundary wall construction work began there on December 6 this year.

“Contractors had started the construction work without taking the consent of the villagers and fulfilling our demands like compensation, rehabilitation, employment and other issues. So we were forced to erect the barricades by ransacking the pillars to protest the Posco related work”, said Dhirendra Pallei, a pro-Posco leader and head of Sidha Gumpha Forest Committee.  

The villagers of Gadkujang led by former sarpanch Nakul Sahu today met Arabinda Padhee, Revenue Division Commissioner (RDC), Central Range, at Jagastinghpur and sought his intervention to stop the construction work until their demands are fulfilled.

In a memorandum submitted to the RDC, they have demanded payment of compensation to 30 villagers of Noliasahi who have been ignored during acquisition of their betel vines, announcement of the rehabilitation packages and construction of colony for displaced families, award of contract to local contractors for the construction work etc

They have threatened to intensify the stir unless their demands are not fulfilled.

Padhee assured the agitating villagers to solve their issues through discussion. He also told them that the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meeting for the project will be held soon to solve their long standing demands.