Acquired betel vineyards being demolished. Telegraph pictures

Paradip, May 24: The land acquisition process for the 12-million-tonne Posco steel plant project near Paradip today picked up momentum with the pulling down of 36 more betel vineyards in Nuagaon following cooperation of the pro-plant United Action Committee (UAC).

Facing non-cooperation from land losers, the Jagatsinghpur district administration was able to acquire only 36 betel vines in the first four days of its operation. But in an intense operation today, the same number of betel vineyards were pulled down in a single day and five acres of encroached forestland was acquired for the much-delayed project. The administration paid Rs 57lakh to the concerned farmers as compensation.

“The exercise was peaceful and the involvement of people in the exercise was spontaneous,” special land acquisition officer for the Posco project Nrusingha Charan Swain told The Telegraph.

“I gave away my betel vine patches and received a cheque of Rs 3.07lakh as I knew the output of my betel vineyard was dropping lately due to fall in the groundwater level. Betel cultivation is no more profitable nowadays,” said Bikram Mohanty (34) from Nuagaon village, who handed over his 26-decimal plot today.

Majority of land losers today spoke on the same line, which was contrary to the views expressed by some of the land losers earlier.

“We had a hectic schedule. Over 50 landowners had turned up to give away their land for the steel plant project. But we could take possession of just 36 betel vineyards. The remaining betel vine owners were told that their lands would be taken over tomorrow,” said Swain.

Kujang tehsildar Vasudev Pradhan, who was part of the land acquisition exercise, said: “It was extremely humid and sultry as sand-filled landscapes near the betel vine patches were like hot ovens. By noon, we decided to wind up the operation for the day because the heat was unbearable. So, we could not acquire more plots despite being persisted by some of the betel plot owners.”

“It’s heartening to note that people are extending cooperation to the land acquisition process,” said a visibly happy Jagatsinghpur collector Narayan Chandra Jena.

The demands for enhancement of compensation and livelihood package would be considered at the rehabilitation and periphery development advisory committee meeting, scheduled to be held on May 30 at Cuttack, assured Jena.

With acquisition of 36 betel vineyards today, about five acre of forestland that had been encroached for betel cultivation has been acquired for the Posco project. Earlier, during the first four days (from May 18 to 22) 5.62 acres had been acquired. Last July, the district administration had taken possession of 11.82 acres of forestland from betel vine growers, said collector Jena.