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Statesman News Service, 7 December

Meeting to assist in Posco work

JAGATSINGHPUR, Dec. 6: Unfazed by the hullabaloo over massive police deployment, panic at Dhinkia village and grave concern expressed by various quarters, the government went ahead holding a meeting with representatives of Nuagaon, Govindpur, Gadakujang villages in the presence of Posco authorities to explain the rehabilitation package.
The meeting held at Erasama block office today was yet another step forward in trying to expedite land and socio economic survey work at the proposed plant site.Barring Dhinkia, the rest of the affected areas were represented at the meeting. The claim is that families facing displacement in these villages have formed working committee to iron out doubts before facilitating expeditious implementation of the project.
The representatives of this committee interacted with Posco officials and
district administration at Erasama Block. They sought several clarifications on the special package and compensation to affected people, issues relating to the Special Economic Zone, impact of a dedicated port.

The district rehabilitation officer Mr Surjeet Das highlighted theR & R policy. He informed that Rs 1.50 lakh is to be given to affected people for construction of house, and to provide rehabilitation colony,
drinking water facilities, electricity, housing and other compensation
to beetle vine farmers.

Some of them wanted locals who are not affected by the project should get employment opportunity. They cited instances of Nuagaon where people are not going to be affected by the land acquisition process. Each family of the affected panchayats should get employment, they said.
A few others pointed out that 90 percent of people had acquired or encroached upon what is now being identified as forest land and hence they may not get any compensation whatsoever.Reliable sources said Posco India officials requested the villagers to present specific demands for consideration. Villagers agreed to present their demand after consultation with the villagers next week.

Mr Priyabrata Patnaik, the transport secretary who has been appointed as nodal officer for the project also explained the benefits and economic growth that will take place in the area. The district collector and other officers were present at the meeting.Villagers of Nuagaon ,Gadakujang, Noliasahi, Gobindpur have formed all party committee to bring peace in project site. Sarapanches of Gadakujang and Nuagaon participated in the discussions today.

Social worker denied entry into plant site

BHUBANESWAR, Dec 6: The very fact that I was prevented from entering Dhinkia by few people at Trilochanpur who had absolutely no stakes in the Posco steel plant project reveals that it is ‘money which is talking’ in the area, remarked Mr BD Sharma, eminent social activist and president of Bharat Jan Andolan.

Talking informally with reporters here today, Mr Sharma said he had been stopped by some people at Trilochanpur yesterday. They asked me to return without entering Dhinkia and all this was right in front of the police.

He also pointed out that one of the groups told him to vacate the area within two minutes.

I talked to these people, enquiring about the situation in the area, the benefits of the proposed Posco project and then realised that these people had nothing to do with the project.

They were not being displaced, their land was not being acquired and they had absolutely no stakes in the project, yet they were determined to prevent me from reaching Dhinkia and they claimed to be pro-Posco, he noted.

Sharma denounced the government of remaining a mute observer.
A government is duty bound to act in the interest of the people, it has to intervene, it just cannot remain passive as it has been till date, he charged.

The veteran activist was accompanied by Ajay of Visthapan Virodhi Janvikas Andolan, Reetam Bhattacharya of United Students Democratic Front who said he was at Nandigram for five months, Ms Jayeeta Das and Chati Maiti both of whom belonged to a women samiti which was active in Nandigram.

The entire team had to return from Trilochanpur yesterday. But they will visit Dhinkia tomorrow.

We met the SP Jagatsinghpur yesterday and he assured us that we were free to move around the proposed Posco plant site areas including Dhinkia, informed Mr Sharma.

Mr Sharma said on the face of it the entire process of a global giant negotiating with villagers and the government remaining a mute passive spectator was like asking a lamb to negotiate with a tiger.

He also pointed out that as per the recent forest rights enactment, the area locals have a right over the land and they cannot be termed as encroachers any longer.

Meanwhile, a handful of youth carrying placards in favour of Posco and raising slogans against Sharma stormed Lohia Academy where the social activist along with his team and others including Prafulla Samantaray were present here today.

They left the place before the police reached the spot.

It is apparent that even these people know nothing about Posco project nor do they have any stake in it, it goes to prove that money is talking quipped Samantaray.

NHRC moved against ‘state repression’

BHUBANESWAR, Dec. 6: Rajendra Sadangi, convenor of Loka Pakhya and Prafulla Samantara, president of Lok Shakti Abhijan have filed a complaint before the National Human Rights Commission alleging serious violation of human rights at Dhinkia, Gadakujang and Nuagaon areas of Jagatsinghpur district.

The complaint is based on a series of incidents that had taken place since 29 November when anti-Posco project activists were attacked and driven away from Balitutha bridge. Bombs were hurled and tents set ablaze by hired goons, they charged.

Listing out the injured in the incident they named six and said 10 others had also sustained injuries. The second list provided by NHRC related to torture of four persons (named) and 10 others after the 29 November incident.

The complaint levelers hurled allegations against the ruling BJD, a local leader of the party and others.

Villagers protesting against displacement are facing a Nandigram type of combined assault by armed goons and the police, they charged.
The right of people of three gram panchayats to differ with the government over the project, right to agitate and protect their own interests, right to life and lead a normal life have all been trampled, alleged the petition.

It prayed for immediate directions to the government to withdraw the police force, ejection of goons from the area, adequate compensation to those whose rights have been infringed and an end to ‘state repression’. The government is trying to manufacture support for the project by intimidatory presence of police, it charged.

Missiles testfired

BALASORE, Dec. 6: India today carried out its air defence exercise involving two of its test ranges Integrated Test Range, Chandipur and Wheeler Island, Dhamra of Bhadrak in the Bay of Bengal.

The surface-to-surface medium range missile was test fired at around 11 a.m. from a mobile launcher LC- III of Chandipur as attacker, the other missile as an interceptor was fired from Wheeler Island LC-IV after two minutes 40 seconds of the former to have an alignment with a pre-designated point.

Sources said the test mainly to ascertain the interception capability for the low altitude hostile ballistic missile was successful. Senior scientists of the Defence Research and Development Organisation Air Defence Programme were present.

For the test, defence authorities have evacuated nearly 3,000 villagers of five villages along with their live stock under two gram panchayats within two km radius of the launching complex of Chandipur, they were stationed in two temporary shelters erected at Khadupahi and Kalimandap.

Health camps in Kalahandi

ROURKELA, Dec. 6: As part of its corporate social responsibility, Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) is going to organise free Health Camps at Bolangir and Kalahandi districts from 7 to 16 December.

The health camps in Bolangir district will be organised at four villages -Belpara, Sindhekela, Bharsuja and Tusra from 7 to 10 December and in Kalahandi District, the health camps will cover Nakrundi, Adri, Ghutrukhal and Mohulapatna from 13 to 16 December.

This initiative will involve the services of specialist doctors in medicine, ophthalmology, ENT, skin, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology and pediatrics who besides carrying out health check up and diagnosis of the villagers will also provide expert advice and free medicines to the patients in these camps.

This apart, the steel plant through its Ispat General Hospital (IGH) has already established a modern medical and health services centre in the steel city catering to patients from Orissa and outside the state as well.
RSP also runs free medical aid centres five days a week in a number of periphery villages and has recently set up a free medial consultation centre for the underprivileged as part of its CSR in the steel township.