Posco relief package to be released this week

The much-awaited compensation package for Posco is expected to be finalised by next week.

The rehabilitation and peripheral development advisory committee (RPDAC), the statutory body to decide the compensation package, is meeting next week to take a decision on the package.

?The meeting is going to be held next week,? said Jagatsinghpur district collector Narayan Chandra Jena. He, however, said the exact date is yet to be fixed. The decision was taken after the district administration submitted the socio-economic and forest survey report of the three panchayats, Gadakujanga, Nuagoan and Dhinkia, last week.

The chief minister?s principal secretary, Bijaya Patnaik, on Saturday discussed the compensation and land acquisition issues with the district collector and other officials. The possibility of using force for land acquisition was also discussed on Saturday. The socio-economic and forest survey of the project site has been completed. While the survey was complete in seven villages, it was partially complete in Dhinkia village due to non-cooperation of villagers.

According to the survey report, there are 3,000 houses in seven villages. There are 1,493 betel vines and 952 non-forest areas on the proposed Posco site. The worth of the betel vines has been estimated at Rs 3.42 crore.

?RPDAC is likely to give a final shape to the compensation package following a discussion on the issue taking into consideration the socio-economic and forest survey of the project,” said a senior government official of Jagatsinghpur.

Earlier, the RPDAC meeting for the Posco project was scheduled in November 2009, but it could not be held then. The Posco Pratirodha Sangram Samiti (PPSS), however, still insisted that the project site be shifted elsewhere. PPSS chairman Abhaya Sahu has said gates would be erected soon denying entry to outsiders once the chief minister visited the project site.

The announcement of the compensation package will be followed by land acquisition in the project site, said the government official. Meanwhile, the United Action Committee(UAC), which is supporting the location of the project at the present site, reiterated its demands for Rs 25 lakh for acre of private land, Rs 25,000 per decimal of betel vine land, besides 25 other demands.

The RPDAC meeting, will be held under the chairmanship of the central range revenue divisional commissioner.

(CR-RDC), will be attended by the local MP, MLAs, Posco nodal officer, district collector and other government officials.