Ground work for Posco boundary wall begins amid protests

The trench cutting work for boundary wall construction of the Posco project near Paradip began at the project site amid deployment of eight platoons police forces as project opponents protested the move with anti-Posco slogans renting the air.

"With the cooperation of the villagers, our team has started trench cutting work on Thursday on about 100 meters at Gobindpur-Patana border and 80-meter stretch at Gobindpur-Nuagaon border for construction of boundary wall of the Posco steel project," said additional district magistrate, Paradip, Surjit Das.

"Besides, we have measured and demarcated the project boundary line at Gobindpur-Nuagaon border on Thursday," he added.

However, the activists of Posco Pratirodha Sangram Samiti (PPSS) held demonstrations and raised slogans against alleged illegal constriction of boundary wall. They have threatened to intensify stir from tomorrow.

Though the district officials had started demarcation of boundary for the project on Monday, the work met resistance from both project supporters and opponents.

While anti-Posco activists were opposed to the project per se, the pro-Posco people demanded fulfillment of their demands including compensation, rehabilitation, peripheral development and job opportunities.

On Wednesday, the district officials held discussions with pro-Posco activists at Gobindpur village while they submitted their nine-point charter of demands. The district administration explained in detail about the rehabilitation package and urged them to help expedite the work. Thereafter, the officials took up measurement and demarcation work at Mangalapada at Gobindpur-Nuagaon borderline. Meanwhile, the district administration axed 1056 fruit bearing trees and dismantled two betel vines and paid combined compensation of Rs 10 lakh on Thursday.