Orissa expedites Posco site survey despite opposition

Dec 13, 2007, 18:40 GMT

Jagatsinghpur (Orissa), Dec 13 (IANS) Amid opposition from many villagers, Orissa Thursday decided to expedite the survey work for the proposed steel plant of South Korean major Posco in Jagatsinghpur district under the largest foreign direct investment in India.

The district administration conducted a meeting of all revenue officials at the port town of Paradip. It formed 12 teams including the local revenue inspectors to carry out the work, a district administrative official told IANS.

The survey teams were directed to complete the survey work in the project areas within 15 days, he said on condition of anonymity.

The team will conduct surveys on encroached land, structure, buildings, number of trees, houses of affected of people, ponds, institutions, betel vine, ownership of land and other things on the encroachment land for fixation of compensation packages for the displaced families.

A survey team led by special land acquisition officer Nrusingh Swain had already been conducting a survey on private land in Nugaon, Polnag, Bayanalkana and Bhyianpal, he said.

Swain said that forest officials and road and building staffs will be included on survey work for evaluation of trees, building and other structures.

The district administration need to acquire for the Indian subsidiary of Posco 4,004 acres of land out of which 438 acres are private land and rest is with the government.

However, it could not managed to do so due to opposition by local people, especially in Dhinkia village.

Since tension prevails in this village, the administration has excluded lands in it from the survey work, the official said.

As more than 40 to 50 ancillary industries will be established ahead of the steel project, the government has directed the district administration to acquire land in other 23 panchayats of Kujanga and Erasama blocks.

Swain told IANS that steps were taken to demarcate lands at Sijua, Bagadia, Fethpur and other panchayats for ancillary industries.

Orissa signed a deal with Posco in June 2005 for the $12 billion plant to be set up near Port town of Paradeep by 2016.

The area has in the past witnessed a series of clashes between those supporting the project and those opposed to it.

At least 17 people, including five women, were injured in a clash in Balitutha, some 120 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, on Nov 29.

Since then, the state government has deployed more than 600 policemen in the region.

Those opposed the project say the plant will bring pollution, displace them and ruin their betel farming. On the other hand, people supporting the project say it will bring economic activities in the region and generate employment.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service