Posco survey on at Nuagaon despite tension

The Jagatsinghpur district administration today continued with the socio-economic survey for Posco project in Nuagaon panchayat despite tense situation there following lathicharge by police personnel on protesting villagers yesterday.

Six survey teams were pressed into service to conduct survey in different hamlets of Nuagaon panchayat with police protection even as anti Posco activists led by sarpanch, Bhaskar Swain held meeting to chalk out strategies to intensify stir against the project.

The administration has beefed up security and deployed six platoons of armed forces to avert any law and order situation during the survey in Nuagaon. The police have kept a strict vigil on the movement of anti-Posco activists.

Meanwhile, the anti- Posco activists threatened to impose a fine of Rs 500 on the villagers who extended cooperation to the survey teams. Despite this threat, many villagers and members of United Action Committee, a pro Posco outfit active in the area, have extended their cooperation to the survey. In another development, nearly three thousand villagers of Dhinkia panchayat, the epicenter of anti-Posco movement, have decided to sit on dharna protesting the entry of district officials to conduct survey in Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages.

Sources said, the survey teams will go to Gobindpur village within next two to three days after completing the process in Nuagaon.

It may be noted this village was covered in the earlier survey conducted in 2008.

Yesterday, hundreds of irate villagers of Nuagaon had attacked the survey teams and snatched away their documents before police resorted to lathi-charge injuring nearly 12 persons. Two villagers were arrested by police for attacking the survey teams.

Special Land Acquisition Officer, Nrusingh Swain said, no untoward incidence has occurred in Nuagaon on Thursday during the Posco project survey. He said, 120 households in this village have been covered in the survey till date and sought the cooperation of the villagers to complete survey of rest households peacefully.