A section of women of Gobindapur on Monday threatened to set themselves on fire if the State Government goes ahead with acquiring their land for the proposed Posco steel project.
They poured kerosene on themselves, sat on dharna and threatened to set themselves afire when local administration deployed workers to demolish their betel vines. The land acquisition and trench cutting work for construction of boundary wall for Posco was stalled for the day following the incident.
Sources said after being suspended for two days, land acquisition in the village resumed on Monday morning only to face resistance by the women members of anti-Posco outfit Posco Pratirodha Sangram Samiti. They alleged that the betel vines were being demolished forcibly.
When the officials were trying to demolish betel vines of one Khiroda Das, his wife Mauni rushed to the spot and protested. As the officials reportedly paid no heed, she poured kerosene on herself and threatened to set herself on fire. She was subsequently joined by some other women members of the PPSS who resorted to similar action.
Assistant secretary of PPSS Prakash Jena said they are demanding cancellation of the forest and environment clearance to Posco.
Special Land Acquisition Officer (in-charge) Sarat Kumar Purohit said project-related work had to be suspended following the agitation. “Contrary to allegations, we had not gone to the village to demolish betel vines,” he said.