High drama took place in at Dhinkia, the proposed site for the `52,000-crore Posco steel project, in Orissa’s Jagatsinghpur district on Monday with eminent social activists Medha Patkar visiting the area and a leading pro-Posco leader Anadi Rout resigning from his post.
Ms Patkar and Ekta Parishad national president P.V. Rajagopal joined the anti-Posco movement by addressing rallies in the project area. Meanwhile Mr Rout, president of Joint Action Committee, a pro-Posco forum, resigned from his post.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the protesters sitting on indefinite strike at the site, Ms Patakar alleged that the state government had violated all existing laws while acquiring land for the project.
“As it appears, British Raj prevails here in Orissa. People’s concern is not taken into consideration and the state machinery is seemingly busy in facilitating the cause of the multi-national company that threatens large-scale displacement,” she said.
The villagers, mostly women and children, drew Ms Patkar’s attention to use of force by the district administration to evict them from their ancestral lands and urged her to create pressure on the state government to refrain from taking coercive measures.
“This is sad that the government is using force against its own people for a multinational company. Sooner the government withdraws police forces from the project area the better,” she observed.
Mr Rajagopal suggested the state government to hold talks with the local people for solution instead of using force against them, thereby violating human rights.
As usual, the protesters prevented the entry of government officials to the project area by raising a human barricade.
Over 400 children formed the first ring of the blockade. Nearly, 2,000 women backed the children in the second row.