Paradip, May 19: Police rounded up 33 activists of the United Action Committee (UAC) as officials acquiring land for the 12-million-tonne Posco steel plant encountered resistance in the project area for the first time today since the resumption of the exercise after nine months.
“We took 33 activists into preventive custody as they blocked the road and tried to stop both the civil and police officials from discharging their duty,” said Shantanu Kumar Das, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Paradip. The protesters, who were shifted to Paradip following their arrest, were later released on personal bonds.
The UAC, which had earlier backed the steel project, is angry over the non-fulfilment of its demands by the administration. The UAC activists sat on the road near Gadakujang blocking the entry of the land acquisition team.
As a result of the protests, the officials could only acquire 72 decimal of land today as compared to 1.52 acres yesterday. “The administration sent a team of officials to Gadakujang this afternoon to persuade the UAC activists to have a discussion with revenue divisional commissioner (RDC—central). The government is sensitive to the demands of the people,” said Saroj Kanta Choudhury, additional district magistrate, Paradip.
“The agitating UAC leaders had spoken to me over phone. I advised them to desist from confrontation with the government. Some of their demands are definitely genuine and worthy of consideration. From whatever they have told me, I feel they are aggrieved over the preventive arrests. They are also opposed to heavy police deployment in villages as it is causing panic among people,” said Paradip MLA Damodar Rout.
Land acquisition work made slow progress today as most betel farm owners chose to stay away. “Seventy-two decimal of betel vines were acquired today. Five betel vine owners from Polang village had turned up. With their written consent, we demolished the betel vines and paid them compensation cheques worth Rs 8.18 lakh. We waited till 12pm before calling it a day as majority of the plot owners did not turn up,” said special land acquisition officer Nrusingha Charan Swain.
The detention of UAC activists has surcharged the atmosphere in the villages coming under the proposed steel project. While people have been asked to be on alert to face the police, there was door-to-door gong-beating in villages under Gadakujnang panchayat. Youths took out a motorcycle rally in protest against forcible land acquisition.
“The whole of Gadakujang has turned into a police camp. Flanked by armed police, the administration is trying to forcefully acquire land for the Posco project. The move would backfire,” said UAC president Anadi Charan Rout.
Rout alleged that betel vine owners who consented and gave away the land were given inducement last night by a group of officials through a mediator. He said a majority of betel farmers were opposing the paltry compensation amount.
“The inducement allegation is false and fabricated. The betel vine owners have turned up to take part in the land acquisition process of their own accord,” said Erasama block development officer Muralidhar Swain.
On the other hand, UAC secretary Nirvaya Samantray said: “People here are wholeheartedly with our organisation. The officials, after releasing us from police custody, gave an offer to hold talks with the RDC central instead of the discussion scheduled earlier on May 30.
“But we rejected the offer in protest. First of all, the land acquisition should be stopped tomorrow after which we will chalk out our next course of action by taking majority view of people.”
