Posco's efforts for speeding up the construction of the 12-million tonne steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa received a jolt on Monday as angry villagers damaged the camp of a contractor and did not allow earth excavators to operate, protesting the government's betrayal over assurance of engaging locals.

Meanwhile, the opposition to the project at the borders of Govindpur village continued on Monday even as the Orissa government declared "use of kids" in the anti-Posco agitation as illegal. Chief Secretary B K Patnaik said, "It is illegal to use children in the agitation."

But Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, on the other hand, justified children's participation as "normal and legal". "No one has forced children to take part. As their parents are agitating, they come on their own," he said.

Though the civil construction work started last week over 1,800 acres of acquired land, tension was simmering over the state government's indifference to the demand for using local people in the earthwork. Before the excavators started rolling on Monday morning, villagers in Polang damaged the camp of the contractor and stood before the excavators.

"The work is being done by outsiders despite the government assurance of engaging locals. It was one of the six demands set by us. If this is the attitude of the government, we would not allow the construction work," said Tamil Pradhan, a pro-Posco leader.

Faced with resistance, the team from Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa had to stop the work.

After last week's retreat, the district administration on Monday sent 12 platoons of armed police to Govindpur where they came face to face with a children's wall. Though Jagatsinghpur SP Devdutt Singh asked the protestors to leave the site within half- an-hour, no one moved.

The protestors were cheered by state president of BJP Jual Oram, who promised to take up the matter with senior party leaders and the BJP would demand a discussion on this stalemate in the monsoon session of the Parliament.

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