Land acquisition for the Posco steel project resumed in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district on Monday, after a gap of two-and-a-half months.
The restarting of the demolition of betel vines at Gobindpur village at the proposed plant site near Paradip coincided with Posco-India CMD Y.W. Yoon meeting Development Commissioner J.K. Mohapatra at the State Secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
Though Mr. Yoon described the meeting as a courtesy call, sources said matters relating to the mega project, including land acquisition work, were discussed.
Mr. Yoon’s meeting with Mr. Mohapatra assumed significance with the State government planning to give pace to land acquisition for the steel project. A total of 2,100 acres have already been acquired and of this, about 1,700 acres handed over to the company.
Meanwhile, 19 betel vines were dismantled during the day without any resistance by locals and about Rs. 21 lakh paid to the land losers, Jagatsinghpur Collector S.K. Mallick said.
“Land acquisition involving dismantling of betel vines resumed this morning. The villagers are cooperating in the work undertaken by the administration,” he said, adding that the process would continue tomorrow as people are willing to cooperate.
