UAC stops Posco work in Nuagaon, Gadakujang

The government’s cup of woes with regard to the much hyped Posco project seem to be brimming over. Even as the anti-Posco activists have forced the Jagatsinghpur district administration to stop land acquisition for the project at Gobindpur and Dhinkia, the project supporters, who had assisted the officials in an almost trouble free land acquisition in Gadakujang and Nuagaon panchayats, are now peeved with the administration for non-fulfillment of their long standing demands.

Irate villagers under the banner of United Action Committee (UAC), a pro Posco outfit, today stopped the construction work of Posco rehabilitation colony at Polang and sand leveling work at Nuagaon and Gadkujanga areas for non fulfillment of their six point charter of demands. They have threatened to intensify their stir if the issues are not resolved immediately.

UAC also expressed its solidarity with nearly 1500 betel vine labourers who are living in critical condition due to non payment of maintenance allowance and other benefits after one moth of demolition of their betel vines.

The six point charter of demands of UAC included measurement of betel vines from “stay to stay’ instead of “fence to fence”, hiking the compensation for betel vine workers from 20 to 30 percent of the amount being paid to the vine owners, provision of job to each of the 3000 project affected family of Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats, increasing the price of agricultural and homestead land, giving contract work to the local contractors during the construction phase and paying compensation to the beneficiaries who had demolished their betel vines after the 2008 survey.

UAC had agreed to cooperate in the land acquisition process after the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), central range, Pradipta Mohapatra assured them to fulfill their demands after discussion with state government. Though the administration, with the help of UAC, has demolished nearly 650 betel vines and paid Rs 7.50 core compensation to the betel vine owners, none of the demands of UAC has been fulfilled.

Particularly, the conditions of nearly 1500 labourers who worked in the betel vines to earn their living, have worsened as no compensation has been paid to them yet.

UAC members led by its working president Dhirenda Pallei conducted a meeting at Gadkujang today and sharply criticized the administration for not fulfilling their demands.

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, Pallei said.

UAC secretary Nirvaya Samntray said, UAC has sought hike in compensation percentage from 20 to 30 percentages to betel vine labourers.

Similarly, administration has not paid any compensation to the land losers who had demolished their betel vines after the 2008 survey. Besides, no step has been taken to give contract work to the local contractors during the construction phase, he added.