Date:13/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/13/stories/2008021356590100.htm

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Fresh trouble in Posco area

Special Correspondent

BHUBANESWAR: The State government’s socio-economic and land demarcation survey for Posco-India’s steel plant project in Jagatsinghpur district suffered a major setback on Tuesday with the people opposing the venture virtually chasing away the administration from the borders of Dhinkia village.

Hundreds of people from Dhinkia, the nerve centre of the anti-Posco agitation since November last, came out of their village to dare the administration conduct survey work in their village.

Led by Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti president Abhay Sahu, the villagers raised slogans against the State government and Posco saying they would not allow the government take away their land for the South Korean company. Armed with traditional weapons, the villagers stood behind Mr. Sahu who challenged the administration to arrest him. A number of cases pertaining to the anti-Posco agitation are pending against Mr. Sahu.

High drama

The high drama continued for nearly one hour starting from 10 am with both sides advancing towards each other. The policemen and administration officials finally retreated when the distance between the two sides narrowed to around 100 metres.

“The people of Dhinkia have resolved not to allow the police and the administration enter the village at any cost,” Mr. Sahu told The Hindu over the phone. “Out of the 4004 acres land the government has earmarked for the steel project, 1225 acres comes under Dhinkia and we will not allow the authorities to occupy this patch,” Mr. Sahu.

Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police R.K. Sharma, however, narrated a different story. “The administration never wanted to conduct the survey in Dhinkia in this round of survey. The policemen were deployed along Dhinkia village borders as the survey was continuing in Gobindpur village,” Mr. Sharma said.

As several families of Gobindpur had their betel vines located in Dhinkia village, Mr. Sharma said those betel vines would be covered under the survey when the administration takes decision in this regard.

He claimed that by Wednesday, survey work would be completed in all the villages in the project area, excepting Dhinkia.