Paradip, July 7: The Dongria Kondh tribals from the Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district today marched to the proposed Posco project site, putting their weight behind the ongoing resistance movement against the Korean steelmaker.

Dressed in their traditional attire and armed with axe and arrows, a group of 20 tribals went round the Dhinkia village, interacted with people and spoke at length of their movement against Vedanta Alumina Limited while expressing solidarity with the protesters.

The Dongria Kondhs have been fighting against the proposed bauxite mining project on the Niyamgiri hills by Vedanta. The Union environment and forests ministry has withdrawn clearance to the project in the wake of the primitive tribe’s movement.

The tribals drew comparison lines between the Niyamgiri anti-Vedanta stir and the ongoing resistance movement against Posco in Jagatsinghpur district. “The issue remains the same whether it is at Niyamgiri or at Dhinkia. The rights of people are at stake. We have tasted success with the mining activities being stopped at Niyamgiri. The movement against Posco would move in the same direction,” said leader of the tribal group Subash Silkia.

“The visit of Dongria Kondhas has invigorated the spirit of people here. It has inculcated the spirit to face adversity with vigour in them,” said general secretary of the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samity Sisir Kumar Mahapata. In another development, inclement weather condition notwithstanding, the project related work continued today in the villages coming under the proposed steel venture. However, the nature of work was restricted to tree-felling, sand filling and measurement of earthen platform of the betel vineyards claimed to have been demolished two years ago as part of the land acquisition process. The rains and wet soil have led to suspension of the civil construction works.

“The construction work was suspended today because of rain. However, tree-felling was in full swing at Noliasahi village. As many as 1,700 forest-classified trees were cut down. There was sand-filling work in the proposed resettlement colony for the displaced villagers at the 80-acre stretch at Jokerpada hamlet near Polang. Moreover, separate teams had been rushed to Nuagaon village where the officials took note of the villagers’ complaints that no compensation had been paid to them against their vineyards demolished two years ago. The vineyards were measured. The authenticity of claims would be cross-checked after which the genuine claimants would be duly compensated. The exercise was smoothly conducted with people’s support. There was no show of protest though a section of people of an outfit had staged dharna at Nuagaon,” said additional district magistrate Saroj Kanta Choudhury.

Compensation against tree-cutting would be paid to the village forest committees in a day or two. The committees would later distribute the sum among the villagers, he said.

Choudhury said: “We are in constant touch with the protesters through mediators. The administration is waiting for orders from the higher authorities with regard to the land acquisition work at Dhinkia gram panchayat.”