PARADIP: The Posco ancillary work picked up pace with members of the village forest committee, Nuagaon panchayat, active at the project site, extending support to the process on Sunday. Not willing to miss the opportunity of working on a holiday to escape villagers’ protests, district administration besides IDCO and Posco company officials engaged men to chop down trees in Nuagaon area. Nearly 2,500 casuarina and fruit-bearing trees in Nuagaon and 200 fruit-bearing trees at Noliasahi under Gadakujang panchayat were brought down with the cooperation of local forest committee. “The ancillary work is going on in full swing with the cooperation of forest committee members, who have given their consent to hand over their trees to clear the land for the Posco project. The felling of trees under Dadhibaman forest committee will continue for another two to three days,” said Kujang tahasildar Basudev Pradhan.Of the seven forest committees, the women of two forest committees -- Mathsahi and Balishai -- led by Mamata Mohapatra staged an agitation against the felling of trees. Nuagaon Sarpanch Bhaskar Swain said the women of Nuagaon had intensified their stir to protest the Posco project. The movement against the State Government to forcibly acquire land in the area chosen for the Posco project will be strengthened in the ensuing days, he added. Gadakujang Panchayat Samiti member Basudev Behera said officials should show similar interest in the government projects.
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