The Global Positioning System (GPS)-based resurvey of the Posco’s project site near Paradip, which was stalled for last three days, has restarted on Tuesday after the United Action Committee (UAC), a pro-Posco outfit, agreed to cooperate in the exercise.
The UAC members, who were stridently opposed over the method of resurvey, gave their consent following the intervention of the state agriculture minister Damodar Rout and local legislator Prasant Muduli. Both Rout and Muduli had convinced the UAC members to fulfill their demands after holding discussions with the state government within next ten days.
Nakula Sahoo, sarpanch of Gadakujang panchayat said, “We have faith in the administration and in the local legislator to resolve our issues after discussions with the state government and so we allowed survey and land acquisition process to start today.”
“The district administration has taken the demands of the UAC members into consideration and their issues would be hopefully resolved after a decision is taken at the government level. Survey is going on peacefully with the cooperation of the villagers”, said Jagatsinghpur district collector Narayan Jena. Special Land Acquisition Officer, Nrusingh Swain said that a total of 30 beneficiaries have demolished their betel vines at Polang and Bhuiyanpal villages under Gadkujang panchayat and Rs 50 lakh has been disbursed as compensation today. With this 58 betel vines have been demolished in the area clearing six acres of land for acquisition by the administration.
It may be noted that the UAC members had demanded the measurement of betel vines from 'fence to fence' instead of 'stay to stay' through use of GPS to avert monetary loss of the beneficiaries.
Besides, they had also demanded the inclusion of the betel vines, which were demolished by the villagers on the advice of the Posco India officials during the last two years, in the recently prepared survey list for compensation.
Meanwhile, Bhita Mati Surkhya Janmanch, formed by a breakaway group of UAC, has taken a dig at the UAC members for bowing to the administration's move and allowing the resurvey work.
The Janmanch activists are determined to protest the survey and land acquisition process and have also decided to conduct agitation from Wednesday at Nuagaon to fulfill their demands.
Bhaskar Swain, convener of the organization said, “The affected villagers have rejected UAC as the UAC as well as the administration have failed to give job to at least one member of each of the affected families and compensation of Rs 25 lakh to traditional forest dweller. The Janmanch has no objection to set up the Posco project if their 29-point charter of demands is fulfilled.”
