The Orissa Government on Thursday decided to restart land demarcation work for the proposed steel plant from January 21.
BHUBANESWAR: A week after putting a halt on socio-economic survey at Paradip for Posco's 12 mtpa project due to resistance from nearby villagers, the Orissa Government on Thursday decided to restart land demarcation work for the proposed steel plant from January 21.
It would however, exclude Dhinkia village that is considered as an epicentre of the anti-Posco campaign, said Priyabrata Patnaik, who is state government's nodal officer for the proposed project.
Patnaik had held talks with agitating villagers on Wednesday.
Hopeful of meeting the April 1 deadline for beginning physical construction, he said it would start on government land, if people of Dhinkia continued to oppose land demarcation work.
Meanwhile, Posco-India Director G W Sung, who held discussions with the nodal officer about the progress on the project, told that the South Korean steel major was anxious to hold talks with the residents of Dhinkia village.
"If the people of Dhinkia do not want the project, Posco will not force a steel plant on them," Sung said making clear that the steel major wanted to take people along with it.
Even as the people of Dhinkia had rejected the project, Sung said Posco was still hopeful of getting their support.
To a query, Sung said the company would have no problem if Dhinkia was excluded from the landscape of the project for the time being. "We will set up 12mtpa plant in three phases.
If one place is not available now, there is no harm in starting construction on whatever land is available," he said.
On villagers' demand for a compensation of Rs 25 lakh per acre of agricultural land and Rs 40 lakh per acre of homestead land, the Posco-India director said that the company was ready to negotiate price on private land.
"But we will not negotiate with the people for the government land. A major portion of the government land in the proposed plant site area is under possession of the people.
Posco will not abide by the price quoted by villagers on government land," Sung said.
He, however, said the steel major was ready to pay some compensation to the people who had constructed betel vines on government land. "But it may not be possible to give the price they are quoting for government land," he said.
On forest land, Sung said that the company had already apprised its stand to the state government. "We are ready to pay whatever is required to get forest land for industrial purpose," he said, adding that Posco was committed to provide a better life for the people affected by the project.
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