Forest committee officers and residents pull down trees in Nuagaon. Telegraph picture

Paradip, July 24: Project-related work gathered momentum at the Posco project site with the clearance of forest areas continuing in full swing. Hundreds of forest-classified trees were pulled down with local support.

“There was whole-hearted support to the tree-felling work that was undertaken in Nuagaon forest area. Over 3,000 forest classified trees were pulled down in the very presence of the village forest committee members and local residents. Yesterday, a record number of 4,500 trees were felled with spontaneous cooperation from the people. We are hopeful of similar support from villagers in coming days,” said Kujang tehsildar Vasudev Pradhan.

The logs and timbers were given away to the local forest committees and local residents, he added.

On the other hand, a symbolic protest was staged at Nuagaon as people owing allegiance to Bhitmati Surakhya Manch, an outfit opposing the steel project, continued to sit on dharna on the Nuagaon-Gadakujang Road as they have been doing for the last fortnight.

For a change, there was no human barricade at the Gobindpur-Dhinkia border today. The place, that had become the hub of resistance movement for the past two months with children and women at the forefront of the dharna, wore a deserted look.

“The agitation was withdrawn today as the officials and police were busy with project work in places far from Gobindpur. As the officials had no intention to venture into Dhinkia, we preferred to stop the human barricade sit-in today to provide a break to the agitating people,” said Sisir Kumar Mahapatra, general secretary of Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samity (PPSS), the organisation which has been spearheading the anti-Posco movement in these parts.

Notwithstanding rapid strides made by the administration in clearing off large forest areas during the last two days, the village forest committees of Mathasahi and Balisahi today vowed to resist any move to fell trees in their respective village forests. The village forest cover in these twin villages is yet to be taken up for forest clearing exercise.

“We are opposed to the felling of trees in our village forest areas. The authorities spoke to us and had tried to prevail on us to agree to their proposal. But we have turned it down. We are going to resist forest clearance. Without our consent, not an inch of the forest would be allowed to be diverted in favour of the steel project,” said Banshidhar Mantri, head of the forest committees of these two villages.