Betel vine labourers left in the lurch at Posco site

Loss of livelihood has compounded the woes of betel vine workers in the Posco project site following the demolition of the vines by the district administration as part of its land acquisition process for the project.

The Jagatsinghpur district administration had demolished 96 betel vines and distributed Rs 1.36 crore to their owners as compensation before the exercise was stopped on the direction of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) last week.

Due to the demolition of these vines, hundreds of labourers eking out their living by working in these properties have been rendered jobless.

Though the Posco compensation package, approved in the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meeting, prescribed payment of compensation to the betel vine workers at the rate of 20 per cent of the compensation paid to the vine owners and disbursement of unemployed allowance of Rs 2250 per month to each labourer up to one year or till he is engaged by the company, these benefits are yet to be provided to the jobless workers by the company authorities or the administration.

Says Surendra Behera, a 75 year old resident of Noliasahi village, “I used to earn Rs 200 to Rs 300 per day by working as a labourer in betel vines. But now I am jobless and my family of five members is virtually starving due to lack of any other earning opportunity”.

Another woman, Srimati Nayak of Polang village described her plight saying she is now forced to daily commute to Kujang and Paradip area to work as a domestic servant to maintain her family after losing her job in betel vines.

“The livelihood of hundreds of labourers has been seriously affected and their condition is stated to be critical due to want of fund”, said Basudev Behera, panchyat samiti member of Gadkujang panchayat.

He has demanded that compensation needs to be given to these labourers for their maintenance. Murlidhar Swain, block development officer of Ersama admitted that compensation and other benefits are yet to be given to nearly hundred labourers after demolition of betel vines. He informed that compensation and allowance will be given to these labourers after their identification in the gram sabha. On the other hand, in spite of the directive of the state government, no steps have been taken yet by the district administration to form task force for the protection of acquired land and prevention of fencing of new betel vines.

However, police has started patrolling in Gadkujang, Dhinkia and Nuagaon areas to nab the anti-Posco activists.

Meanwhile, one anti Posco activist named Ramesh Das has been arrested by the police on Friday.