Gobindpur village where the land acquisition process for the Posco steel project is scheduled to resume in a couple of days. Telegraph picture

Paradip, June 14: The opponents of Posco steel project and officials are gearing up for a final showdown as Posco Pratirodh Sangaram Samiti, an outfit spearheading the resistance movement, has resolved to intensify the human-barricade stir to counter the land acquisition process, scheduled to resume tomorrow.

Two days after Union minister for environment and forests, Jayram Ramesh, advised the state government against ‘forcible land-acquisition’, officials of district administration yesterday chalked out a line of attack to face the resisting people. The opponents, on the other hand, resolved to seal all entry routes to the Dhinkia gram panchayat, the epicentre of the resistance movement.

“We will not allow the backdoor entry of officials through the seaside forest cover for land acquisition. We will put in place another human barricade along the village-forest border as we did last week at the main entry route to the Gobindpur village,” said Sisir Kumar Mahapatra, a prominent PPSS leader and former sarpanch of Dhinkia gram panchayat.

The sandy area that dots innumerable betel vineyards in Gobindpur village has many routes to gain access and exit.

Thus, guarding all the points to stop the officials from alternate passage is a difficult proposition, said an anti-Posco activist.

“We are still trying our utmost to stop the land acquisition squad. It’s a do-or-die battle for us. We are quite optimist that victory will be on our side,” said PPSS vice-president Vasudeb Behera.

The strategy chalked out by the administration is to outnumber the resisting people by heavy police deployment. In this way, getting access to village would be easier. There are indications that there will be additional deployment of armed police when the land acquisition process resumes in a day or two, a revenue official said.

“People here have so far peacefully launched their agitation and no force has been exerted on people by law enforcing agencies.

Despite some acts of provocation at the land acquisition spots, police have acted with utmost restraint,” said Jagatsinghpur superintendent of police, S. Devidatta Singh.

Refusing to elaborate on the police arrangement, the district police chief said: “Our role is to ensure the safety of land acquisition officials and maintain law and order at the spot.” Meanwhile, the Raja festival spirit in trouble-torn Dhikia and Gobindpur are missing this time, as future is tense for the displacement-weary people.

“We are concerned about our future. Raja festival has paled into insignificance this year. The village girls are however observing the Raja rituals symbolically in an austere manner. Besides, we could hardly move out of the village to go to marketplaces in Paradip and Kujang to make new purchases. There is presence of police on the routes. We are apprehensive of arrest,” said Trughna Behera of Gobindpur village.

Gunanidhi Rout of the same village, however, begged to differ. “It’s a flawed perception that all of those living in Gobindapur and Dhinkia villages are opponents of the steel project.

“I personally support the plant’s establishment in our area. Women folks in my house are observing Raja with customary fervour. I am eagerly waiting for the land acquisition process to start. I am ready to give away the land,” he said.