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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Political boost to Posco resistance by Manoj Kar

Political boost to Posco resistance by Manoj Kar

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published Published on Jun 12, 2011   modified Modified on Jun 12, 2011
The battle against Posco appeared to be reaching a crucial stage as around 2,000 protectors today continued to block the entry of police and officials into Dhinkia and Gobindapur even as an Opposition delegation visited the area to lend support to the people’s movement.

As the protesters refused to budge, the officials were forced to return empty-handed after a five-hour-long wait.

The movement against the 12-million-tonne Posco steel project got a big boost with representatives of five political parties — CPI, CPI(M), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and Forward Bloc — staging a dharna to oppose forcible acquisition of land.

In Dhinkia, however, farmers, along with their children, continued to lie on the hot sandy expanse on Gobindpur village border to keep officials at bay. They remained unfazed despite the intimidating presence of 20 platoons of armed police. Authorities were likely to clamp prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC in the area.

Expressing solidarity with the protesters, CPI MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai said: “We (Opposition delegation) had to rush to the spot to stop forcible acquisition of land. Use of force on the people is unwarranted. The government is within its right to reclaim land from those who are willing. It’s highly undemocratic to intimidate peace-loving people with gun-wielding police and acquire their vineyards against their consent.”

“The government agencies have unleashed a reign of terror here,” said Narayan Reddy, CPI, a former legislature.

“I fell on their feet and appealed to them (officials) not to pull down the vineyard. The police dragged me from the spot and manhandled me. I watched helplessly as the officials pulled down the betel vines,” said 80-year-old Satrughna Nayak of Gobindapur village.

The administration, however, refuted the charges levelled by members of the Opposition delegation and landlosers.

“We pulled down 26 betel vineyards. Three landowners were paid Rs 2 lakh compensation cheques. No force was used on the people. However, we demolished betel vines in the absence of farmers,” said Saroj Kanta Choudhury, additional district magistrate, Paradip.

S. Devidatta Singh, superintendent of police, Jagatsinghpur, said the police took an alternative route to acquire land in Gobindapur as people had blocked the main route.

“People’s agitation was peaceful. That’s why we refrained from evicting the people forcefully. Police did its lawful duty in accompanying the land acquisition officials. The police acted in a restraint way and did not use force on landlosers,” he said.

However, the officials admitted that they had pulled down over two dozen vineyards in the absence of their owners. It is another matter that presence of landlosers during the acquisition process is mandatory.

In fact, in a majority of cases vineyard owners refused to receive compensation cheques.

Terming Saturday’s acquisition drive as lawful, Jagatsinghpur collector Narayan Chandra Jena said: “Betel farmers had earlier given their consent but did not turn up at the spot fearing retaliation from anti-Posco protesters. The landlosers would later receive their compensation amount.”

In another development, the district administration suspended the land acquisition process for nearly a week. While it is believed that the officials decided to suspend the process as they were upset with the ongoing agitation, the administration maintained that work had been deferred for a week to give the land acquisition personnel a break.

The Telegraph, 12 June, 2011, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110612/jsp/orissa/story_14101706.jsp


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