Orissa holds talks with farmers hit by Posco project

The protests over land acquisition for the Posco’s 12-million tonne steel plant in Orissa notwithstanding, the district administration in Jagatsinghpur has initiated talks with the local villagers to finalise the compensation against the loss of their betel vines located in the project site.

More than 2200 betel vines raised by the locals on the encroached forest land in Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats have to be uprooted to clear the land for the Posco project.

The affected villagers have demanded a compensation of Rs 20,000 per decimal of land on which these betel vines have been planted.

On the other hand, the district administration has worked out the compensation package at Rs 10,000-12,000 per decimal. The decision was taken at a recent meeting presided over Gyanranjan Dash, the Jagatsinghpur district collector.

Sources said, Posco has already paid a compensation of Rs 6000 per decimal to 75 families of Nuagaon village in 2007.

As per the Rehabilitation & Resettlement policy of the Orissa government, each beneficiary is entitled to a compensation of Rs 6000 per decimal of land.