Though District Collector S K Mallick was confident of convincing the villagers to give up their land, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti President Abhay Sahoo termed the government's efforts to acquire land as illegal.
"The effort to acquire land is illegal as a case in is pending in the court of the National Green Tribunal," Sahoo said.
The district collector, on the other hand, said "We are confident. The people will cooperate with us in acquiring the rest of the land."
Though the state government has acquired 2,000 acre, it requires an additional 700 acre for beginning the project work.
The government had earlier identified 700 acre at Gobindpur village, one of the seven proposed plant site villages.