Protesters fill up a trench dug for the Posco project’s boundary line at Gobindpur village. Telegraph picture

Paradip, May 20: Land owners at Dhinkia village, the hotbed of anti-Posco agitation, did not turn up to stake their claim over the betel vines, which were to be dismantled by the district administration for the steel project.

Officials refrained from taking forcible possession of the betel vineyards. Instead the new betel vines, which were not entitled to compensation, have been demolished, said an official.

The Jagatsinghpur district administration had issued eviction notices to 61 betel vine owners, who had to part with their plots in favour of the Posco project.

The land acquisition process considerably slowed down today with the betel vine owners playing truant. As a result, only five new betel vines could be demolished today and the land acquired. Besides, tree-felling in Gobindpur forest areas and excavation work of the project’s boundary line have smoothly progressed, he said.

The Posco land acquisition process has reached its final leg with about 150 acres left for takeover. The Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, which is acquiring the land, is intent on finishing the process shortly.

As the betel plot owners did not turn up today, the acquisition process failed to pick up pace. The betel vine owners at Dhinkia were all anti-Posco hardliners.

So far, the land has been with the seal of approval and willingness of their owners. There were stray cases of people making attempts to sabotage the process. “Those, who are trying to ferment trouble in the area, would be dealt with law,” said Paradip additional district magistrate Surajit Das.

The administration has fixed May 31 for completion of Posco project land acquisition. Thereafter, the land will be transferred to the steel major after settlement of technical and legal formalities,” said Jagatsinghpur collector Satya Kumar Mallick.

“Tree-felling has become a time-consuming affair as about 82,000 trees are still left untouched. We expect to cut down the remaining trees by the end of this month,” he said.

An estimated 2,550 acres has been under the control of corporation. As the South Korean steel major requires 2,700 acres to begin construction of the eight-million-tonne per annum steel plant in the first phase, hardly 150 acres is left for acquisition. The corporation has transferred 1,703 acres in favour of the steel-maker.