Villagers stall forest-clearance exercise at Nuagaon on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Paradip, Aug. 23: The Posco protesters today detained six contractual workers engaged by the Industrial Infrastructure and Development Company (Idco) for forest-clearance exercise in the steel project sites.

The protesters intercepted the workers and snatched away the sawing machines near the Nuagaon forest.

“The protesters detained six workers, engaged by the Idco for tree-cutting in the project areas. We, however, managed to release them unharmed after about two hours. The protesters insisted to stop the tree-cutting exercise. Later, we suspended the work,” said Kujang tehsildar Vasudev Pradhan.

“The protesters had also blocked the road at Gadakujang and the oil refinery south gate. However, no other untoward incident was reported from these dharna sites,” said sub-divisional police officer Shantanu Kumar Das.

“Though people today took law unto their hands by detaining the contractual workers, we restrained from using force. We decided not to arrest anybody. Two persons, who were arrested yesterday, had been trying to instigate the people to attack and physically harm the detained officials,” Das said.

Two persons, arrested yesterday on charge of detaining three officials, including that of the steel company, were remanded in jail custody. They had been booked under sections 143, 341, 294, 353, 506, 149 of the Indian Penal Code and 7 Criminal Law Amendment Act, he said.

Moreover, show of protest in various other sites of the proposed project brought the ancillary project work today to a halt. The officials suspended the work sensing the people’s angry mood.

“Instead of making futile attempts, the administration is better advised to initiate measures for fulfilment of people’s demands. Without people’s support, it is not possible on part of the government agencies to resume the project work,” said Nirvaya Samantaray, general secretary of the United Action Committee, which has been demanding a revised relief and rehabilitation package.

The non-fulfilment of the six demands despite the authorities’ series of commitment had fuelled anger among the people, who were initially supporting the project. Their main grouse is that rehabilitation and relief being doled out to them is not adequate to make up their loss of permanent livelihood stakes owing to the setting up of the steel project.