The talks between the Jagatsinghpur district administration and the villagers of Nuagaon, including members of the pro-Posco outfit- United Action Committee (UAC) have failed to yield any breakthrough.
Many villagers of Nuagaon and the UAC chief who were steadfast in their demand for talks only with the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC-central division) were conspicuous by their absence. Only a few villages and some members of UAC had participated in the meeting.
The UAC chief and most villagers did not turn up following failure of talks with the district administration on earlier occasions. These discussions centred around fulfillment of UAC's six-point charter of demands including employment to each family, contract work to local people and employment to local labourers in construction work, finalization of the compensation of homestead and agricultural land, hike in compensation rate from 20 to 30 per cent for betel vine labourers, and measurement of betel vines from 'stay to stay' instead of 'fence to fence'.
UAC secretary Nirvaya Samantray said, “Many UAC members skipped today’s meeting as no solution emerged out of discussions with the district administration on earlier occasions. Therefore, UAC has proposed to start negotiations at the RDC level for fulfillment of its six-point charter of demands.”
Nakula Sahu, sarpanch of Gadakujang panchayat who attended this meeting said, “We have tried to convince the villagers and UAC members to participate in the talks with the district administration as the RDC is busy for the ensuing car festival in Puri.”
The villagers of Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats are not protesting the Posco project but only seeking fulfillment of their demands, he informed.
Meanwhile, the district administration failed to fell even a single tree at Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats owing to agitation of the locals. Consequently, the demarcation of boundary wall, construction of rehabilitation colony, sand levelling and trenching work could not be taken up for the fifth consecutive day.
The district officials attempted to chop tress at the Noliasahi village under Gadkujang panchayat but had to face resistance of the locals.
Hundreds of villagers under the banner of 'Bhitamati Surakhya Manch' led by its president Sarat Mohapatra demonstrated a dharna at Nuagaon village to prevent the entry of district officials and police.
The district officials and 180 armed police personnel, who attempted to resume the construction work of Posco project and cut down trees, had to return empty handed.
“Not a single tree has been chopped today due to non-cooperation of villagers”, said Basudev Pradhan, the tahsildar of Kujang. Besides this, the supporters of the anti-Posco outfit- Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) who have been continuing their stir for the past 25 days, got moral support when former Railways minister Kanhu Lenka and other Congress leaders sat on a dhana at Gobindpur in protest against alleged forcible land acquisition. Lenka expressed his solidarity with the agitating villagers.
