A man stands at a transit camp at the Posco site at Jagatsinghpur in Orissa. Telegraph picture

Paradip/Bhubaneswar, May 23: The Jagatsinghpur district administration today went ahead with the land acquisition work for the greenfield Posco steel mill project following negotiations with the agitating United Action Committee (UAC).

“The acquisition work picked up momentum today after we succeeded in our efforts and managed to persuade the agitating UAC leaders and activists to cooperate with us. It was unanimously agreed that the UAC members will have a discussion with the revenue divisional commissioner on May 30 for the revision of the compensation, rehabilitation and livelihood support package,” said district collector Narayan Chandra Jena.

Betel vine plot owners cooperated with the administration by handing over 18 betel vineyards. The administration today acquired 3.26 acres.

The UAC, which had earlier supported the project, had disrupted the pace of land acquisition last week demanding a better package for the affected farmers.

“Since the district collector has made a commitment to revise the compensation and rehabilitation package, we have agreed to change our non-cooperation approach. We will wait till the May 30 meeting. If the government does not keep its commitment, we will launch our non-cooperation movement again,” said UAC president Anadi Charan Rout.

“We want the project. There is no ulterior motive behind change of our stand,” said Rout. In Bhubaneswar, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: “My government wants peaceful industrialisation of the state. The district administration is negotiating with the local people.”

“About 40 to 50 betel vine plot owners came on their own and said they would give their patches. We were not prepared for such a large number as we had just 18 cheques with us. We acquired 18 betel vines and paid Rs 37.5lakh as compensation,” said Kujang tehsildar Vasudev Pradhan.

Basant Sahani, who owned a vineyard measuring about 80 decimal, was the first to receive a compensation cheque today. “There was no extraneous pressure on me to give the land. As I knew that the administration has made up its mind to acquire the vine, I had plucked the betel leaves two days ago. Betel cultivation is no more profitable nowadays because the ground water level is depleting,” he said.

The acquisition process had slowed down considerably with the UAC deciding not to cooperate with the administration. On May 18, the authorities had acquired 1.52 acres. The figure dropped to 72 decimals the next day. On May 20, the government could acquire only 12.43 decimals and later decided to suspend the process for two days.

“Due to the cooperation of the farmers, we acquired 3.26 acres today,” said Sujeet Das, project director, resettlement and rehabilitation, Posco steel project.