PARADIP : Uncertainty looms large over the plight of betel vine owners and workers, who were displaced for the proposed Posco steel plant. Betel vines of 5,000 persons were demolished in Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages for the project.
The betel vines, which they had used to cultivate on thousands of acres of land for livelihood, were destroyed for setting up the South Korean steel plant. With their betel vines demolished and compensation money spent, the villagers are now staring at an uncertain future.
As the company has now decided to move out of the State, the lands continue to remain unutilised in the three blocks and the cash-strapped labourers have taken up menial jobs for survival. Posco-India has requested the State Government to take back its 2,700 acres of land provided to it near Paradip for setting up a 12 MTPA steel plant.
Harekrushna Sahu, a betel vine owner of Gobindpur village, said he had handed over his betel vine to the company four years back with a hope to get employment in the steel plant. He got a compensation of `2.80 lakh which, Sahu has already spent. “Five villagers, who were working in my betel vine, have already migrated to other States in search of work. They are daily labourers now,” Sahu said.
After demolition of the betel vines, the government decided to give sustenance allowance of `2,500 to each betel vine worker and they were entitled to get 20 per cent of the compensation awarded to the betel vine workers under whom they worked.
Out of 171 workers, administration had given sustenance allowance of `8.64 lakh to only 32 workers at Noliashai village, while workers of Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats have not yet received their allowance and compensation amount.
On the other hand, Posco-India’s decision has cheered anti-Posco activists in Dhinkia village. They demanded withdrawal of police cases against villagers who were involved in Posco-related violence and employment for the betel vine owners and workers. Pro-Posco leader Tamil Pradhan claimed the move to scrap Posco steel project in Paradip was pre-planned.