Villagers gather near the Posco project site at Balidiha to protest against the land acquisition drive on Monday. Telegraph picture

Paradip, July 1: Opposition from landowners and anti-Posco activists stalled land acquisition exercise in the proposed Posco steel plant project area today.

The protesters staged a rally at Patanahaat near the project site condemning “forcible” land acquisition by the administration.

Protesters assembled at Balidiha close to the land-acquisition spot prompting officials of district administration, Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and Posco company to suspend the exercise for the day.

“The protesters, who owe allegiance to the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, picketed near the project area. The process was put on hold for the day as the administration wanted peaceful land acquisition. The officials have spoken to a section of land-owners. The exercise will hopefully resume tomorrow with people’s consensus,” said additional district magistrate Surajit Dash.

“Demolition of betel vines of unwilling farmers has left the villagers stunned today. The local people have resolved to stop the officials from doing further forcible land acquisition. The officials beat a retreat and failed to muster courage to venture into the site today. It was a moral victory of the land owners here today,” said Prakash Jena, an anti-Posco activist.

“There is still stiff resistance against the steel project. The government has made a mockery of its peaceful industrialisation drive by forcefully acquiring land at Gobindpur. Women protesters have been beaten up by male policemen. People here have vowed to fight till the government relocated it,” said Narayan Reddy, a leader of the samiti.

Jagatsinghpur police superintendent Satyabrata Bhoi said the police had kept a vigil on the protesters.

“No coercive action was initiated against the protesters as their agitation was peaceful in nature. Police forces were deployed at Patanahaat only to maintain law and order,” said the district police superintendent.

“So far, land has been acquired only with the approval of villagers. There are stray cases of section of people attempting to sabotage the process,” said Jagatsinghpur collector Satya Kumar Mallick.

Land acquisition could not be proceeded as the betel plot owners did not turn up today. We did not want to demolish betel vineyards in the absence of landowners, said special land acquisitions officer Sarat Kumar Purohit.