Posco supporters return to native village after seven years

After staying for seven years at the Posco transit colony for supporting the steel project, 40 out of the 52 families have returned to their native village Patana in the last two days.

The families were forced to leave their native village at the peak of anti-Posco stir spearheaded by the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS).

"The residents of the transit camp had expressed their desire to return to their native place, which is entirely natural. Now that the situation has returned to normal, we thought it would be a good time for them to return," additional district magistrate of Paradip Ramakrushna Sahu said.

"The other residents too would go back soon to their places in phases," he said, adding , the families would be rendered all possible help by the administration for their proper rehabilitation.

Sahu along with the local tehsildar and the police, was at the transit camp to oversee arrangements for shifting of the transit colony residents to their native place. A sustenance allowance of Rs 2,400 and a polythene sheet, was given to each family to take care of emergency operations during the transition.

The villagers were excited ahead of their return to native places as they have been assured by members of PPSS that no harm would be done to them. They were driven out of their villages seven years ago by the PPSS supporters.

Senior PPSS leader Sisir Mohapatra said, "It was the administration's divide and rule policy which had estranged our brethren from us. We are happy to have them back in the village and shall lend them all help to rebuild their houses."