Villagers question sanctity of survey

The villagers affected by the Posco project have voiced their resentment over the recently concluded Posco survey, alleging large scale irregularities in the exercise and pointing out discrepancies in the present survey and the one conducted in 2008.

According to the villagers, the present survey has excluded a large number of betel vines and prawn gheries as a result of which hundreds of affected people will be deprived of compensation.

The United Action Committeem (UAC), a purportedly pro-Posco outfit active in the Posco area, has demanded a fresh survey on the Posco project.

Reacting to the detailed survey report of the district administration, Nirvaya Samantray, o-economic, forest and horticulture survey of Posco project has left out 24 families of Gobindpur village due to the threat of the anti-Posco activists. The administration has submitted an incomplete report for the villages of Dhinkia and Patana because of the absence and non-cooperation of villagers.”

When contacted, Basudev Pradhan, the Kujang tahsildar admitted that the number of betel vines, other trees and prawn gheris were reduced in the current survey compared to the 2008 survey because non-cooperation of the villagers.

Sources said that the 2008 survey had mentioned about the existence of 1961 betel vines spread over an area of 394.39 acres at the project site which included 802 betel vines in Gobindpur village.

But the recent survey talks of about 1527 betel vines which included 689 betel vines at Gobindpur, 436 at Nuagaon, 289 at Polang, 83 at Bayanalkanda, 17 at Bhuiyanpal and 4 at Noliasahi village. Not only betel vines, the number of prawn gheris, other trees have been reduced in the current survey sparking resentment among the affected villagers

Nearly 400 beneficiaries would be deprived of their compensation due to the deficiencies in the survey. Many families of Gobindpur have alleged that their betel vines have been destroyed by the anti-Posco activists but these were not been included in the survey report.

In many villages, officials have done survey on pen and paper in the absence of beneficiaries just to cover the area or to avert any untoward incidence. The villagers have now demanded the conduct of a fresh survey in consultation of the village committee.

The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the organization spearheading the anti-Posco agitation in the state, has demanded the shifting of the Posco project site for the sake of the livelihood of the locals.

Sisir Mohapatra, anti-:Posco leader and sarpanch of Dhinkia village said, the farmers of Dhinkia will fight against Posco project and are determined not to concede even an inch land to Posco.