Villagers lock up Essar steel gate, construction work hit

The construction work of Essar Steel’s proposed six million tonne mill near Paradip was today hit with hundreds of local villagers along with activists of some farmers’ organization locking up the main gate of the company’s project office protesting dredging of Mahanadi river for sand filling of the acquired land at the site.

Sources said, hundreds of villagers of Handia protested the company’s dredging work in Mahanadi river and ransacked the machineries including the dredger. The villagers also complained about the highhandedness of the company authorities, non payment of compensation and humiliation of contract workers in the plant site.

They were joined by activists of four outfits, Paradip Krushak Manch, United Action Committee, Eastern Farmer’s Sangthan, Garamya Surkhya Samiti which have been working for protection of rights of farmers and land losers in the area.

Bhagban Swain, president of Gramya Surkhya Samiti alleged that the company is dredging the bank of the river instead of its middle portion due to which the river has ingressed into the agricultural land affecting cultivation of paddy in riverside villages.

Besides, it has also helped saline water to inundate the agriculture land rendering it uncultivable. Hence, they demanded payment of compensation to the affected famers by the company.

Similarly, the company is yet to deposit the full amount of Rs 265 crores with the state authorities towards payment of compensation to the land losers at the agreed rate of Rs 19.10 lakh per acre.

Due to this, out of 714 acres to be acquired in Udayabat village, only 300 acres have been acquired and 30 acres out of 456 acres have been acquired at Nuagarh. At Bijayachandpur, 200 acres out of 218 acres have been acquired.

Essar company officials said, the construction work has been paralysed due to the locking of main gate by the agitators. Meanwhile, one platoon of police force has been deployed at the plant site to avert law and order situation.