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March 26, 2007 17:26 IST
Villagers opposing the Rs 52,000 crore (Rs 520 billion) Posco steel project near Paradip on Monday said they have formed "self-sacrifice squads" to protect their lands from being acquired.
The villagers under the banner of 'Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti' announced this at a meeting on Sunday. "We have formed dedicated sqauds of 500 people comprising both men and women who had vowed to sacrifice their lives in order to save their land", said PPSS president Abhaya Sahu.
Posco had signed an MoU with the Orissa government in June 2005 for locating the shore-based project which was being seen as the largest single FDI in the country.
Sahu told PTI that the necessity of forming such squads was felt after reports said that officials of the South Korean company had been meeting ministers and politicians in Delhi to garner support for its project.
"We understand that they have already met Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and others in order to exert pressure for land acquisition. Therefore, we need to intensify our movement", he said. He claimed that nearly 1,000 people, mostly women, had volunteered to be part of the squads.
"But, in the first phase, the PPSS had accepted proposals from 500 people", Sahu said adding that the group members assembled and vowed to oppose the South Korean company till they were alive.
"I am ready to die for the cause. No one can displace me for the foreign steel company", said Akshay Das (42), a betel farmer from Dhinkia village under Ersama block in Jagatsinghpur district.
Hurdles to Posco will be cleared soon: Orissa
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