Angul, Feb. 7: The land losers, affected by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited's Hingula coal mine project, have resorted toa new strategy to stall the project workand get theirdemandsheard.

Taking cue from the Paradip Posco steel project, the land losers here have deployed childrento stall the mining work.

Since Thursday, about 20 schoolchildren from Bhalugadia village, have been storming around the Hingula mine bringing all operations to standstill. Theyare stopping the operation of a mine that produces 15,000 tonne of coal per day. The kids are all below 10 years of age.

Such a situation was unprecedented in Talcher where agitations and mines shutdown have been a regular affair. But in this situation, neither police nor the administration is able to crack down on kids because that is against the law.

Sub-divisional police officer Kailash Chandra Parida said: "The local villagers, who lost their land for the mine, have beenagitating to get a jobagainst their land for some months. Police have arrested them on charges of obstruction."

"On February 3, the villagers again stopped the mining process for the same demand, and we picked them up on the next day. Then, the children started stalling the works. Now, we are helpless. We will have to arrest the elders again if the childrendo not vacate the mines," Parida said.

Districtchild protection officer G.C. Behera, who has been on the spot for the past three days, said: "According to the law, the deployment of children in any agitation is prohibited. We are trying to find out a solution to the villagers' problems, so that the children return to their villages."

Concerned over the development, the coalfields authorities have termed such an unusual method of agitation as "illegal".

"We are in the process of meeting the legal demands of the villagers. It is taking time as oursisa government-run company," said a senior official of the colliery.