Paradip, March 9: Seventeen families, who had returned home after being driven out of their ancestral village by local people for supporting the Posco steel project, are facing fresh bout of social boycott.
The affected families had returned to their homes in Patana and Gobindpur villages on December 20, as the administration had intervened and assured them of safety and security.
Those opposed to the project have refused to extend neighbourly cooperation to them. Project's opponents allegedly drove out 56 families from their homes in 2007. These villages were regarded as the epicentre of the resistance movement against the steel project. The affected people were provided temporary residence at the transit colony on June 26, 2007.
The members of the 56 families decided to return to their respective ancestral villages. While 39 families have been leading a normal life thereafter, 17 others are allegedly being socially ostracised by a section of the villagers.
'The block administration has received grievance petitions from these families. The affected family members alleged that they are living in darkness as their houses are devoid of electricity. They are allegedly being denied of procuring water from the community tube wells,' said block development officer Subodh Acharya.
The Central Electricity Supply Utility officials have been asked to provide electricity to the affected families. Decision to dig a tube well in the vicinity of those houses has also been taken. The families have been sanctioned fiscal grants for rebuilding their damaged houses under Mo Kudia scheme, Acharya said.
'At least 17 families who returned to their places on December 20 are upset. Some of the local people are encountering a social boycott. We are not being allowed to draw drinking water from the community tube well,' said Chandan Mohanty, a 50-year-old member of an affected family.
Seventy-year-old Kashinath Muduli, who faces the same situation, said: 'Life has become miserable. We are unable to cope with the uncooperative attitude of a section of villagers.'
