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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Farmers happy over suspension of Posco environment clearance

Farmers happy over suspension of Posco environment clearance

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published Published on Apr 2, 2012   modified Modified on Apr 2, 2012
-The Times of India
 
KENDRAPADA: Farmers of seaside villages of Jagatsinghpur are jubiliant after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the environment clearance for Posco.

"Last year, the authorities acquired my 16 decimals of betel vine for only Rs 65,000 at Noliasahi village in Nuagaon gram panchayat," said Ranjan Jena (45) of Noliasahi, adding that he wished that he got his land back. He was also very curious if the government will return him his land. "I have nothing except this hut and a cow," Ranjan said.

Other farmers, who had "unwillingly" given up their land for Posco's Rs 52,000 crore steel plant project in Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadakujang gram panchayats are also very happy.

"We are grateful to human rights activist Prafulla Samantray, who alone fought for our cause before the NGT in New Delhi," said Pramod Swain (47), a betel vine farmer of Dhinkia. Some farmers are also celebrating. "The entire project was shelved. There will be no steel plant in our area and so we want our land back," said Ramesh Swain (54) of Noliasahi whose betel vine of 22 decimals was acquired by the government last year.

On hearing the news, many villagers were glued to their TV sets of GFriday and clapping in delight. "Those who gave up their lands and betel vine farms have suffered immensely. Now they want their lost land back for betel cultivation," said Manoj Swain (45), a paan farmer of Nuagaon.

"We won a long battle. We have fought for the last five years and it is a matter of time before we can lay our hands on the land which the authorities acquired for Posco," said a confident Binaya Sahoo (54) of Nuagaon. "The battle has been won and now we are happy The land is ours and none can take it away now, not even Posco," said Dayanidhi Jena (54) of Dhinkia village.

"It's been tough on us. For five years we have struggled to make ends meet and fought to protect our land. Now that the National Green Tribunal sealed the fate of Posco, I don't see any reason to fear," said Akshya Swain (43) of Gadakujang.

"Despite the two reports of Saxena and Meena Gupta committees in favour of the land brigades the then minister of environment and forests Jairam Ramesh approved the Posco project. It is a great victory for us," said Sishir Mohapatra, general secretary of Posco Pratirodhaka Sangram Samiti (PPSS).

"The authority has already acquired 2,000 acres of land by dismantling 1,200 betel vine farms of 1400 villagers and paid 12 crores as compensation in Nuagaon and Gadakujang gram panchayats. We had also cut 1.20 lakh trees and handed it over to IDCO. We stopped land acquisition works three months ago before the gram panhayat elections," said Surjit Das, the additional district magistrate of Paradip.

The Times of India, 1 April, 2012, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Farmers-happy-over-suspension-of-Posco-environment-clearance/articleshow/12489897.cms


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