It is reported that the construction work for the proposed POSCO steel plant resumed on Tuesday after remaining suspended for 10 days following protests by the local people, even as the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights asked the state government to immediately withdraw police forces from school buildings in the project area.

Jagatsinghpur district collector Mr Narayan Chandra Jena told reporters in Paradip that “Construction work at Gadakujanga and Nuagaon areas is going on today. The local people are cooperating.”

Sources said the district administration also cut trees and cleared acres of forest area at Polang Noliasahi under Nuagaon gram panchayat. A few more betel vines were also acquired in the project area.

The collector said sand filling and boundary wall construction work is in progress in Noliasahi, the proposed rehabilitation colony of the POSCO project.

Mr Jena assured the UAC representatives that all the six demands would be included in the next Rehabilitation Peripheral Development Advisory Committee.

UAC secretary, Mr Nirbhoy Samantray said that "We have extended full cooperation to the government in land acquisition following talks with senior officials including Jagatsinghpur district collector this morning adding that most of their major demands like hike in compensation and jobs to affected families would be considered favourably at the next RPDAC meeting.”

Reports from Dhinkia and Gobindpur said members of PPSS continued their agitation demanding withdrawal of the security personnel from the area. Work had come to a grinding halt after anti-displacement activists intensified their agitation and UAC, an outfit backing the mega project, demanded immediate fulfilment of its six point demands.

(Sourced from www.asianage.com)