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| Orissa govt to resume POSCO land |
| Orissa govt to resume POSCO land acquisition today
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| INDIA
, 18-June-2011
1:41:6 AM |
| In Orissa, a fresh confrontation is brewing in Govindpur even as the state government readies to begin the land acquisition at the site of the proposed POSCO plant today.
Social activist Swami Agnivesh has reached the spot to mobilise support for the anti-POSCO protesters.
The government had planned to resume the land acquisition drive after a gap of five days on Friday but inclement weather stalled the operations.
However, rain did not dampen the spirit of the locals there. Despite the rain, they assembled near the entry point to Govindpur village to resume their human barricade led by children and women.
Locals say they are determined not to yield an inch of the land on which they grow betel vines and other cash crops.
Last week, as many as 27 betel vine farms were demolished in Govindpur when all in the village, including children, were involved in a human barricade, formed to prevent the entry of police and officials into the site of the proposed steel plant.
Sixty five-year-old Shatrughna Behera's betel farm too was razed to the ground, without any notice or his consent.
"How much money will they pay me? How long will that last? I've lost betel crop worth Rs. 50,000. They didn't even bother to inform me," said Behara.
The state government insists there has been no use of force and that their methods are peaceful.
"We believe in the peaceful industrialization of Orissa. We are monitoring the present situation and we will take appropriate steps," said Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa.
Despite these claims, the fact that nearly 800 policemen have been deployed to deal with the children and women satyagrahis, gives enough reasons for apprehensions. People can't help if the spectre of Kalinga Nagar where 13 tribal protesters were gunned down in 2006 keeps haunting them.
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