Setback to anti-Posco agitation

In a setback to the five-year long anti-Posco agitation, about 50 people of a village, hitherto known for their opposition, on Tuesday supported the mega steel plant project and asked the authorities to take up survey work in their area, officials said.

"Residents of Gobindpur came to my office and submitted a written memorandum urging us to start survey work as the villagers are supporting the project," Jagatsinghpur district collector N C Jena said.

Gobindpur village under Dhinkia gram panchayat, so far considered a bastion of anti-Posco movement, had changed its stand as the people of nearby villages have already supported the project, he said.

Some of the villagers disclosed that they were terrorised by activists of Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, Jena added. Though the administration was yet to decide when to start survey at Gobindpur village, people on Tuesday invited local police officials to their village defying PPSS order that restricted entry of police and government officials into Dhinkia gram panchayat area.

"We have so far completed survey work in five of the seven villages identified for the 12mtpa mega steel plant," said Revenue Divisional Commissioner, central division, P K Mohapatra.

Admitting that people of Dhinkia village were still opposed to the South Korean steel major's Rs 52,000 crore (Rs 520 billion) project, the RDC said there was no problem in completing socio-economic survey in villages barring Dhinkia.

Sources, on the other hand, said a section of people of Dhinkia village was also planning to follow the path adopted by residents of Gobindpur village and allow survey activities in their area too.

Jagatsinghpur MP, Bibhuprasad Tarai sought a few more days to inform the administration on whether it should also start survey work at Dhinkia village or not.

"The MP told me that his talks with the PPSS leaders were continuing. Therefore, the administration should wait till the end of negotiation," the district collector said. With people of Gobindpur village changing their stand, the CPI-backed PPSS held a series of parleys on the future course of action, sources said.