Land acquisition for the Rs 51,000 crore Posco steel project near here in Jagatsinghpur district resumed today after a day's halt following opposition to it.
"Acquisition of land in some areas under Gada Kujang gram panchayat was resumed with the consent of the affected people," Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Paradip, Saroj K Choudhury said.
The acquisition resumed after talks with local people and betel vines of only cultivators who willingly accepted the compensation package were being acquired, Choudhury said.
Over 12 betel vines were demolished at Bhuyanpal and cultivators handed over compensation, Choudhury said."Work progressed smoothly with the cooperation of the villagers. There was no opposition," the ADM said.
So far around 34 betel vines raised on government land have been acquired.
Around 60 personnel and officials in four teams were engaged in the land acquisition process, officials said.
The acquired betel vines were being demolished with bulldozers.
The district administration halted land acquisition yesterday after villagers opposed to it staged a road blockade, preventing officials from entering the area.
Members of the pro-Posco outfit, United Action Committee (UAC) headed by Anadi Rout, who had put up the road blockade yesterday, offered no resistance today, officials said.
UAC appeared to have agreed to allow land acquisition following talks with district administration and elected representatives from the area, with its demand for modification of the method of measuring betel vines apparently being considered by the administration, the sources said.
Yesterday, the UAC had split, with 22 members forming a new group, 'Bhitamati Surakshya Manch' opposing the project.
The new outfit, headed by headed by Nuagaon gram panchayat sarpanch Bhaskar Swain, said it would work to safeguard the interest of the people.
