A betel vine owner receives compensation from district administration on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Paradip, April 23: The proposed march by anti-Posco activists to the site of land acquisition became a damp squib today with most villagers making it clear to the activists that they were parting with their land voluntarily.

“About 200 people from Patana and Dhinkia had marched towards the site at Gobindapur where betel vineyards were being pulled down this afternoon. The police acted with restraint and let them make their way to the land acquisition site” said special land acquisitions officer Sarat Kumar Purohit.

“However, betel vines owners countered the protesters by saying that they were giving away land voluntarily. This made the slogan-shouting protesters beat a hasty retreat,” Purohit said.

“The protesters, who came from Patana and Dhinkia villages, tried to stop the land acquisition process. But, we told them that we were giving away land voluntarily. The area where the protesters hail from (Patana and Dhinkia) does not fall in the Posco project area. They had no business interfering in what we do. However, they swiftly left the place sensing trouble as we did not pay any attention to them,” said Sovarani Behera, who gave away her land today and received compensation.

The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, the anti-Posco organisation, however, maintained that today’s show of protest forced the authorities to stop the land acquisition process.

Samiti spokesperson Prasant Paikray said: “Today’s rally was a success. Some of the landowners who gave away betel vineyards willingly opposed our rally. The administration is trying to win over people by making false promises. The government agencies are acting as the agents of the South Korean steel major.”

Notwithstanding the protest, the district administration today managed to acquire about 15 acres for the steel project at Gobindpur village.

“Land acquisition will go on till the process is completed. We are hopeful that the officials will be able to acquire 200 acres in a week’s time as landowners are extending full co-operation. We are not bothered about the protests at Patana and Dhinkia. The government has excluded these villages from the project site,” said Jagatsinghpur collector Satya Kumar Mallick.