Value of trees estimated at Rs 3.82 crore
The socio-economic survey on the Posco project has identified around 3000 households and 1493 betel vines in six affected villages of the project site.
“The Posco survey was conducted in six out of seven villages covering around 3000 households. As many as 1493 betel vines have been identified in these villages. During the course of the survey, it was found that 952 people have been owning trees and the value of the trees has been estimated at Rs 3.82 crore”, said Narayan Jena, the Jagatsinghpur district collector.
Admitting that the survey work at Dhinkia was incomplete, he said, “while the surveyors were allowed to enter Dhinkia, the villagers did not cooperate during the survey.”
Jena's statement has come ahead of the meeting of the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) scheduled for July 6. The meet is expected to finalize the compensation package in consultation with the affected villagers and elected representatives.
Bijay Patnaik, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, on Saturday, held a review meeting in the presence of Jena and Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central Division) Pradipta K Mohapatra.
The Posco survey report was submitted to the state government by the district administration of Jagatsinghpur on Thursday.
It may be noted that in 2008, no socio-economic survey was conducted at Dhinkia and Patana villages due to protest of the villagers. Consequently, the district administration had submitted tentative figures of these two villages during that time.
This time too, the villagers of Dhinkia protested the socio-economic survey as a result of which the number of beneficiaries could not be identified. The teams only surveyed betel vines, prawn gheris, and other crops on the government land in Dhinkia and Patana villages as 300 acres of private land was excluded at Dhinkia.
The villagers affected by the Posco project have voiced their resentment over the recently concluded survey, alleging large scale irregularities and pointing out discrepancies in the present survey and the one conducted in 2008.
According to the villagers, the present survey has excluded a large number of betel vines and prawn gheries as a result of which hundreds of affected people will be deprived of compensation.
The United Action Committee (UAC), a purportedly pro-Posco outfit active in the Posco area has demanded a fresh survey on the Posco project.
Sources said that the 2008 survey on the Posco project had mentioned about the existence of 1961 betel vines spread over an area of 394.39 acres at the project site which included 802 betel vines in Gobindpur village.
But the recent survey talks of about 1527 betel vines which included 689 betel vines at Gobindpur, 436 at Nuagaon, 289 at Polang, 83 at Bayanalkanda, 17 at Bhuiyanpal and 4 at Noliasahi village. Not only betel vines, the number of prawn gheris, other trees have been reduced in the recent bringing sparking resentment among the affected villagers
Nearly 400 beneficiaries would be deprived of their compensation due to the deficiencies in the current survey. Many families of Gobindpur have alleged that their betel vines had been destroyed by the anti-Posco activists but these vines have not been included in the survey report.
Re-survey of Dhinkia likely
The Jagatsinghpur district administration plans to conduct re-survey at Dhinkia village in the Posco project site with police protection as the socio-economic survey in this village could not be completed due to villagers’ non-cooperation. Though Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), which is spearheading agitation against the project, had agreed to allow survey of its stronghold Dhinkia village in a deal with chief minister Naveen Patnaik, it later withdrew from its commitment and encouraged the villagers not to cooperate in the survey work.
As a result, the survey teams had to return with incomplete data on movable and inmovable assets, including the betel vines and prawn greris, owned by the villagers, making it difficult on the part of the administration to estimate the number of project affected families in this village and the extent of compensation to be paid to them.In the survey report submitted to the government, the district administration has mentioned that out of eight villages in the Posco project area, survey has been completed in seven villages and no survey could be conducted at Dhinkia due to protest of villagers. Sources said, though the survey teams have enumerated the betel vines and prawn gheris operating in the area, they were unable to identify the owner/beneficiary of these properties as no villager came forward to claim ownership.
