Paradip: Ten more pro-Posco families, who had left their homes seven years ago, returned to their native place from a transit camp set up by the steel company in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district, raising the number of such families to 40 today, official sources said.
With this, 12 other families are now left in the transit camp set up by the South Korean steel major near its proposed plant site as a total of 52 families had to leave their homes in June 2007 at the peak of anti-Posco agitation.
Thirty families had returned to their homes on June 7, Additional District Magistrate, Paradip, Ramakrushna Sahu said. The families were staying at the camp at Badagabapur and returned to their villages under Dhinkia gram panchayat. Each family would be paid Rs 2400 and given a polythene sheet, Sahu said.
The families were returning with the consent of the village committee. The district administration would provide assistance for their rehabilitation, he said. The occupants of the transit camp, who are dubbed as supporters of Posco plant, had been virtually driven out of their houses allegedly by anti-project activists after clashes between them ahead of the panchayat elections in June 2007.
Joyous over their homecoming, the families said their return was possible after talks with village seniors and assurance from Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) that no harm would be done to them.
"We had to leave our homes. We are going back as PPSS has promised to extend cooperation for our rehabilitation," said Suresh Muduli, one of those leaving the camp. Similar views were expressed by Madha Mohanty, Ranjan Mohanty and Pahali Muduli. Welcoming the return of the villagers, PPSS leader Abhay Sahu said as there was no interference by the police and administration in the process, those who are going back to their native place would be provided all help.
"Their homecoming was done with the consent of village committee and they are welcome", Sahu said. The development assumes significance as it came ahead of the ensuing panchayat election scheduled to be held in Dhinkia early next month in which the anti-Posco brigade is fielding its nominee, sources said.
Meanwhile, the fate of 12 more families who are still in the transit camp was hanging in balance amidst war of attrition between village committee led by Sisir Mohapatra and Suresh Das and the head of the families Chandan Mohanty. Mohanty said they were forcibly driven from their villages by anti-Posco brigade and would return only if they were asked by the village committee to do so.
However, committee leaders said if the families want to return they can approach the panel which would decide. Of the 52 families, 42 families belonged to Patana village while seven were from Govindpur and two from Dhinkia.
As their houses were badly damaged during last seven years at least seven families were now staying in a school at Patana and others were putting up in make shift houses on their respective plots, sources said.
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