)
For Ratnakar Behera, 64, hope on the Posco project is fast sinking. And, the recent green clearance for the mega steel mill has failed to perk up Behera as a clutch of unfulfilled promises is weighing on his patience.
"Even after surrendering 15 betel vines for the Posco project in 2010, I am yet to get any compensation. With no livelihood option after demolition of the betel vines, my son has been forced to move to Surat for a job. Then there are 17 vine labourers of Noliasahi who have been denied any allowance for two years. With both the district administration and the Posco officials unresponsive to our demands, the villagers are losing hope and patience," says Behera, venting out his anguish.
Behera is among the 15 betel vine owners who are still waiting for compensation.
Noliasahi villagers, who had once pledged support for the Posco steel plant, are turning increasingly restive. The affected villagers had sat on a dharana for two weeks in front of the Ersama tehsil office to press for fulfilment of their demands. But with the local administration still buying time, hope is gradually giving way to disillusionment.
The biggest FDI project, which has already seen huge delays since it was first announced in 2005, has now to face the wrath of these villagers. Boundary wall construction at Noliasahi has been suspended following agitation by these villagers.
"There is loss of trust and huge discontent among the villagers. People who have given away their betel vines are without any livelihood source for three years. They are going to oppose the boundary wall construction till they get some concrete assurance on fulfilment of their demands," says Noliasahi village head Jeevanlal Behera.
More than 400 families of Noliasahi and neighbouring villages like Polang and Bhuyanpal are facing displacement due to the Posco project. While 109 vines have been uprooted at Noliasahi, 35 have been pulled down at Polang to clear land for the Posco steel plant.
The key demands of the agitating villagers are job for one member of each of the affected families, increase in land price from Rs 17 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per acre, 30% increase in compensation for betel crop as decided at the last RPDAC (Rehabilitation & Periphery Development Advisory Committee) meeting in 2010, re-measurement of betel vines and compensation to the growers as per 2008 socio-economic survey, construction of colony for displaced families and hike in the rate of subsistence allowance from Rs 2,250 to 4,500 for the betel vine labourers.
"At the moment, the mood of the people is clearly against the Posco project. Non-fulfilment of demands has hurt their sentiments. We are going to stick to our stand- boundary wall construction will not resume till talks are held," said Tamil Pradhan, spokesperson of United Action Committee (UAC), a pro-Posco group after a public meeting at Nuagaon, one of the project affected villagers.
Nearly 1,500 people congregated at the meeting and they have vowed not to allow entry to Posco officials inside Nuagaon till steps are taken to fulfil their demands, said Pradhan. At Nuagaon, too, there is no trace of any construction activity for the past four days.
At Gadakujang (also an affected village), there is the same chorus of discontent.
"Posco officials have not bothered to reach out to the affected villagers. The recent environment clearance had ignited hope among the villagers and we thought the company officials would approach us to help fulfil our genuine demands. But that did not happen," says Bishnu Chandra Pradhan, one of the affected villagers.
How can Posco hope to start work on boundary wall without taking the locals into confidence? asks he.
Says Rajendra Behera, former zilla parishad member (Gadakujang), "Subsistence allowance is pending for three years for 80 betel vine labourers. People have migrated to states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for jobs as no alternative livelihood option is available locally. The villagers are not opposing the Posco project; they want a written commitment on fulfilment of their demands."
