Paradip, Oct. 13: Responding to the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) directions, the state government has initiated the process for undertaking a fresh socio-economic survey of people living in the proposed Posco steel project villages.

A similar survey of the villages was undertaken in 2009-10, just prior to the commencement of land acquisition exercise in Gadakujang, Nuagaon and Dhinkia gram panchayats for the steel project.

However, a section of villagers had drawn the attention of the NHRC, alleging that they were being denied rehabilitation and resettlement measures by the state government.

NHRC had later ordered for a fresh survey on socio-economic condition of the displaced and land-losing families, said officials.

“We have entrusted Hyderabad-based Centre for Management & Social Research (CMSR) for carrying out the socio-economic survey for land that needs to be acquired for Posco’s mega steel project proposed near Paradip. The survey would start very shortly and CMSR has been asked to compile a fact-finding report in two-weeks time,” said the general manager of Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco), Sangram Mahapatra.

The survey would cover villagers who were either living or carrying out betel vine cultivation and prawn farming in the acquired 2,772 acres. The survey would be carried out in Dhinkia, Nuagaon, Gobindpur, Jatadhar, Polanga, Bhuyanpal, Noliashai and Bayanalakandha villages under Ersama tehsil in Jagatsinghpur district, said the official.

The socio-economic survey would include among other things the demographic profile and the detailed family list of land losers, balance land after acquisition, age and sex wise distribution of land losers, distribution of land losers by primary occupation, economic condition of land losers and families that are likely to get benefit under rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy, 2006, added the officials.

State-run Idco, which is acting as a nodal agency for land acquisition, has acquired 2,193.52 acres of de-reserved forest land and 578.53 acres of government revenue land for the massive steel project.

“Idco had earlier provided physical possession of 1703 acre of land to the steel company to enable the steel makers to construct a project boundary wall. Later the boundary wall work had to be suspended following stiff protest. The land is yet to be leased out to the company. Posco would have to pay us Rs 54.22 crore for the lease deed. They will also have to pay Rs 17 lakh per acre, premium payment of Rs 25,000 per acre, ground rent cess in favour of Erasama tehsil amounting to one per cent of the total valuation of the land and 10 per cent incidental charge of the market price,” added the official.

The South Korean steel major had brought down its land requirement from 4004 acres to 2700 acres, as there was a prolonged resistance movement against land acquisition.