Final phase of land buying for Posco project resumes

However, project opponents threaten to resort to mass immolation, if administration continues to demolish betel vines 'forcibly'

After a break of twenty days, the Jagatsinghpur district administration has resumed the fifth and final phase of land acquisition for the Posco steel project at Gobindpur near Paradip.

The district administration officials, accompanied by police, today launched the drive to pull down the last bunch of betel-vines, left out of the land acquisition operation in the last attempt due to stiff resistance of the anti-Posco brigade.  

The project opponents, however, threatened to resort to mass immolation, if the administration continued to demolish the betel vines “forcibly”. The drive was led by district collector, Satya Kumar Mallick and superintendent of police, Satyabrat Bhoi.

Today, eighteen betel-vines were dismantled amidst stiff resistance from the anti-Posco activists. Many villagers were seen in tears seeing the ravaged remains of their vines. Some women activists, protesting the operation, attempted to commit suicide by taking poison, but they were driven out from the spot by the police.

The project opponents, led by assistant secretary of Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), Prakash Jena, later staged demonstration at neighbouring Patana village and slammed the administration for pulling down the betel vines of villagers, who were not willing to hand them over. They refused to accept the compensation towards the dismantled betel vines.

Betel vine owners, Bairagi Mohanty, said, “We are protesting the Posco project, so there is no question of handing over our betel vines and land to the company. The district administration officials have forcibly demolished our betel vines at gun point without taking our consent, so we have vowed not to receive compensation for it.”      

Woman activist, Haramani Rout alleged, “We protested illegal demolition of our betel vines, but the armed police drove us out from the spot. We have vowed to commit self immolation if administration continues the drive.”     

District collector Satya Kumar Mallick said, “Out of 18 betel vines pulled down today, only 10 vines were dismantled forcibly as the vine owners did not comply with the administration’s notice, served through public announcement on May 11, to remove their betel vines from the proposed site. No one received compensation today, but we hope they will receive their compensation tomorrow. Nearly 80 betel vines, which still exist in Gobindpur village, will be dismantled over next four days.”

PPSS has united hundreds of villagers including women at Gobindpur to oppose the “forcible” land acquisition drive of the administration.

“Villagers are ready to lay down their lives opposing the land acquisition process and women have also vowed to resort to mass immolation in protest. We are ready to face the police repression,” said Manorama Khatua, a PPSS woman activist.