Work at POSCO site stalled for third day

Paradip (Orissa), Jun 28: Work at the proposed Posco site in Jagatsinghpur district was stalled for the third consecutive day today (Jun 28) as locals staged a road blockade at a key junction demanding that their demands be fulfilled including enhanced compensation to land losers.

"People have blocked the road near Balisahi making it difficult for teams to proceed for boundary wall and rehabilitation colony construction. We are are looking into the matter", Basudev Prodhan, Tahasildar of Kujang said.

Balisahi junction is the place from where roads lead to Nuagaon and Dhinkia panchayts in the proposed Rs 52,000 crore Posco steel project near here.

As a result of the blockade, armed police force were unable to proceed and are now staying near Mahabirpeetha of Nuagaon, about four km from Balisahi, sources said.

In protest against felling of trees near Noliasahi- Polang area, slogan shouting United Action Committee (UAC) activists were squatting on the road as a result of which force mobilisation in the area had turned out to be an Herculean task for the administration.

Construction work for boundary walls and rehabilitation colony and felling of trees in Noliasahi-Polang area, where the district administration claims to have acquired about 1800 acre land, remained affected due to road blockade by villagers and absence of deployment of armed police.

Though UAC happens to be a pro-project outfit, its activists and others in the area have been disrupting work saying the government was yet to meet their six-point charter of demands including proper rehabilitation of displaced people, enhanced compensation to land losers and job to one member from every affected family.

Police force was also unable to reach Dhinkia-Gobindpur area where anti-Posco activists under the banner of Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) have been sitting on dharna.

PTI