Even as the Jagatsinghpur district administration has suspended land acquisition for the POSCO project for the next five days (for a local festival and holidays), the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti the organization spearheading agitation against the mega steel plant of the South Korean firm, says it will intensify its stir.
Saying land was being taken at gun point, their supporters among the land losers of trouble torn Gobindpur, whose betel vines were allegedly demolished without taking their consent, rebuilt the vines and vowed not to receive any cheque from the administration towards compensation.
The administration did not conduct any land acquisition exercise today, but sources said the women and children of Gobindpur, who have been put on the first line of the human barricade blocking the entry of officials and police into the village, continued with their vigil.
The anti POSCO activists, led by PPSS leader Mr Abhya Sahu conducted a preparatory meeting with villagers on strategies to stop forcible demolition of betel vines when the land acquisition process resumes this Friday.
It was decided that state and national leaders from five political parties CPI, CPI (M), Forward Bloc, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samjawadi Party and other anti land displacement leaders would be invited to participate in the stir.
The villagers of Gobindpur accused the police of attacking land losers and acquiring land at gun point. Mr Satrughan Behera said that “Police officials beat me and my wife, Rebati, when we protested forcible demolition of our betel vines. We have vowed not to give any land to the POSCO project, so there is no question of receiving cheques from the administration”
The administration had demolished 37 betel vines at Gobindpur during the past two days and disbursed INR 0.825 million to six land losers, while 31 land losers refused to receive their cheques.
Additional district magistrate Mr Sarojkant Choudhury said that however, the administration denied reports of forcible land acquisition. The entire exercise is being done peacefully with the cooperation of the villagers.
He, however, warned that police may use force if the agitators interfered in the acquisition process on forest land.
(sourced from BS)
Saying land was being taken at gun point, their supporters among the land losers of trouble torn Gobindpur, whose betel vines were allegedly demolished without taking their consent, rebuilt the vines and vowed not to receive any cheque from the administration towards compensation.
The administration did not conduct any land acquisition exercise today, but sources said the women and children of Gobindpur, who have been put on the first line of the human barricade blocking the entry of officials and police into the village, continued with their vigil.
The anti POSCO activists, led by PPSS leader Mr Abhya Sahu conducted a preparatory meeting with villagers on strategies to stop forcible demolition of betel vines when the land acquisition process resumes this Friday.
It was decided that state and national leaders from five political parties CPI, CPI (M), Forward Bloc, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samjawadi Party and other anti land displacement leaders would be invited to participate in the stir.
The villagers of Gobindpur accused the police of attacking land losers and acquiring land at gun point. Mr Satrughan Behera said that “Police officials beat me and my wife, Rebati, when we protested forcible demolition of our betel vines. We have vowed not to give any land to the POSCO project, so there is no question of receiving cheques from the administration”
The administration had demolished 37 betel vines at Gobindpur during the past two days and disbursed INR 0.825 million to six land losers, while 31 land losers refused to receive their cheques.
Additional district magistrate Mr Sarojkant Choudhury said that however, the administration denied reports of forcible land acquisition. The entire exercise is being done peacefully with the cooperation of the villagers.
He, however, warned that police may use force if the agitators interfered in the acquisition process on forest land.
(sourced from BS)
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