No force used to acquire land for Posco: Naveen

BHUBANESWAR: Rubbishing allegation of forcible land acquisition for Posco project near Paradip, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said force was not used for the purpose as his government believed in "peaceful industrialisation".

"I have often said that we believe in peaceful industrialisation," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told reporters adding the state government was constantly monitoring developments at the proposed plant site villages.

The state government would take appropriate step regarding Posco project, he said.

Stating that people were voluntarily offering their betel vines for the proposed Rs 52,000 crore project, Orissa's Steel and Mines Minister Raghunath Mohanty said "There is no question of using force. When people are giving land on their own, what is the need to use force?"

"We have not and will not use force for acquiring land for Posco or any other industrial project," Mohanty said rejecting allegations made by Congress and CPI leaders.

Replying to a question on the deployment of 23 platoons of force near Gobindpur village, the entry point to Dhinkia gram panchayat, Mohanty said about 200 families living in that area had expressed their desire to hand over their land for the purpose.

"The villagers have already submitted their applications to the district collector expressing their desire in this regard," he said.

As some outsiders were preventing the 200 families from handing over their land, police was deployed to help them out, Mohanty said.