PARADIP: After Friday’s protests by anti-Posco activists which led to arrest of 17 of their members at Noliasahi in Gadkujang panchayat, the district administration on Saturday went ahead with the land acquisition drive for the proposed Posco steel plant. As many as 58 betel vines were demolished at Nuagaon panchayat and a compensation of Rs 75 lakh was disbursed.Besides, 46 villagers of Nuagaon were paid Rs 5,500 per decimal of betel vine demolished by the administration. In 2008, the Posco company had disbursed ` 6,000 per decimal as compensation to these 46 persons.They, however, had demanded Rs 11,500 per decimal which was approved in the last Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meeting.The United Action Committee too had demanded payment of the differential amount of Rs 5,500 to the villagers in its recent meeting with the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central) P K Mohapatra to which the RDC had agreed.Special Land Acquisition Officer Nrusingha Swain said a total of Rs 30 lakh had been paid to the 46 villagers.Meanwhile, panchayat samiti member Basudev Behera and Sarat Behera who were arrested along with 15 of their family members on Friday for protesting the administration’s move to demolish their betel vines, have threatened to move court as they are yet to be paid compensation for their demolished betel vines. They said that the demolished vines were worth Rs 50 lakh.Kujang Tehsildar Basudev Pradhan, however, said that they would be paid on Sunday.
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