Posco project work to resume soon
There was breakthrough in the talks between the agitating pro-Posco villagers and Jagatsinghpur district administration with the latter giving assurance to villagers to fulfill their six-point charter of demands.
The administration has agreed to give a written commitment in this regard in next couple of days. A final decision will be taken after a meeting between the representative body of pro-Posco villagers, the United Action Committee and revenue divisional commissioner, Central Range, who is currently busy in the preparation of Car Festival of Lord Jagannath. The proposed meeting will be held after the Car Festival.
The broad agreement between the UAC and the administration has paved the way for resumption of work on the Rs 54,000 crore Posco project, which was stalled at the site for over one week.
While survey of earth structure of dead betel vines left out in the 2008 survey, chopping of fruit bearing tress and enumeration of workers engaged in betel vines will resume from tomorrow, the boundary wall demarcation and rehabilitation colony construction work will kick off from July 5 after convincing the village forest committees of Nuagaon and Gadakujang panchayat.
However, the villagers of Noliashai have threatened not to allow officials to chop down trees in their village without rehabilitation of villagers.
The key demands of the villagers included providing jobs to one member of each project affected family, changing the method of measurement of betel vines and raising compensation for homestead as well as agricultural land.