Police and officials come back without carrying out tree-cutting process at Noliasahi village in the proposed Posco area following a protest on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Paradip, June 28: The Posco stand-off continued today with the proposed steel project area acting as a battle zone for the third successive day and the project related work coming to a grinding halt.

Despite the district administration’s efforts, the local people did not allow them to develop land in the area.

The villagers of seaside Noliasahi, who had been supporting the project, today protested against it by stopping tree-felling work in the forest. Officers and armed police, engaged in the job, were forced to return empty-handed following vocal protest by the villagers. With the Orissa government giving clear instructions that no force be used against the protesters, police maintained restraint.

“We had decided to fell tress from the forest areas on which the locals have no claim whatsoever. These trees were reared and nurtured by the Orissa forest department in a 1.5-acre stretch sandy landscape between Noliasahi village and the Jatadhari river mouth. However, the villagers followed us to the forest site and forced us to stop felling of trees. They indulged in acts of provocation. Police did not take any action despite provocation from the agitators,” said Kujang tehsildar Vasudev Behera. The boundary wall-building, ground-levelling and tree-cutting work could not be resumed today though 20 platoons of armed police had been deployed within the project site villages.

However, forces could not be mobilised as the protesters blocked strategic road routes passing through Balijhari village. Police and officials failed to make their way to the sites, as there was congregation of people at different strategic places. Villagers of Dhinkia gram panchayats, who had been opposing the plant for the past six years, formed human barricade at Gobindpur.

Delegations of the Congress and the CPI leaders today visited the Gobindpur sit-in site to express solidarity with the protesters.

Chief whip of the Congress in the Assembly Prasad Harichandan, who was part of the Congress team, said: “The government should stop using force on those who are opposing the project. It should start negotiation with the protesters and arrive at a settlement. It will be possible only after withdrawal of the armed forces from the area.”

“The show of protest by agitators could no longer be described as peaceful and democratic. They literally detained us yesterday near Nuagaon and hurled abuses at us. Today again they misbehaved with the people who were engaged in tree-cutting in Noliasahi. However, we are trying to acquire land peacefully. Neither there was any use of force on agitating people earlier, nor the administration intends to do so in future, despite grave provocation,” said Saroj Kanta Choudhury, additional district magistrate, Paradip.

The United Action Committee (UAC), supposedly a pro-Posco outfit, today rejected offer of the administration to hold negotiation.

“We have had several rounds of talks during the last two months. However, the officers are insensitive towards our demand for revision of compensation and livelihood package. Though the officials had assured us that our six-point charter of demands would be fulfilled, nothing concrete has been done so far. We are not in a mood to talk to them. Let them directly talk to people and settle the matter,” said UAC general secretary Nirvaya Samantaray.

Maoist support

Maoists today alleged that the Orissa government and the Centre had violated norms of the Union Environment ministry for the Posco project and expressed solidarity with those agitating against it.

“CPI (Maoist) hails the people of Orissa who are determined to stop the much-touted 52,000 crore ‘biggest foreign direct investment’ in India and declares its full support and solidarity for them,” a press release by Maoists national spokesperson Abhay, on behalf of it central committee said.

It asked the government to ‘stop intimidating the people’, halt land acquisition for Posco.