A labourer at Dhinkia village in Jagatsinghpur district on Monday. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Feb. 13: Contrary to trends elsewhere in the state, the poll scenario is dull in villages that fall within the limits of the proposed Posco steel project in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district.

There is a palpable disinterest towards the panchayat polls here.

Issues such as displacement, the tardy pace of progress of the much-touted steel project, and non-revision of rehabilitation and livelihood support packages are uppermost in people’s minds as campaigning in the steel project area turned out to be a low-key affair.

Therefore, campaigners of various political parties have apprehended the mood of the people and left out the project-site villages from their electioneering itinerary.

The steel project area has three gram panchayats — Gadakujang, Naugaon and Dhinkia — which are going to the polls on February 19.

After much thought and deliberation, the Odisha government decided to hold polls in this troubled zone that has witnessed a series of anti-plant protests and violence in recent months.

“The decision to hold polls in these pockets was a tough one. Possible recurrence of poll-related violence was being anticipated from various quarters. The government thought there should be a functional panchayati raj in these areas till the project gets under way. Otherwise the implementation of village development programmes would have been hit,” said Narayan Chandra Jena, collector Jagatsinghpur.

However, given the fact that the anti-Posco movement in Dhinkia panchayat continues, polls for the sarpanch and ward members’ posts have been postponed.

Erasama block development officer Kanhu Charan Dhir said: “As a precautionary measure, no polling booths will come up at Dhinkia. There will be polling booths at Trilochanpur and Nuagaon. Voters from Dhinkia will have to cast their votes at those polling booths.”

“Elections are being held here because the government wants to send across the message that everything is fine here. It has failed to muster the courage to hold polls in Dhinkia gram panchayat because of the intense anti-Posco movement,” said Sisir Kumar Mahapatra, general secretary, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samity (PPSS), an anti-plant outfit.

“There is palpable disinterest among the voters. Electioneering has failed to pick up with candidates yet to begin door-to-door campaigns. Voters in these villages are deeply upset over non-revision of compensation and livelihood support package earmarked for land losers,” said Nirvaya Samantaray, general secretary, United Action Committee (UAC), a pro-Posco outfit.