BY RADHICA SOOKRAJ

VILLAGERS of Pranz Gardens, Couva, chased surveyors from the site of the $1.2 million Essar Steel mill on Tuesday.

Carrying placards protesting the construction of the steel mill, the residents prevented the surveyors from carrying out their work which was to map out a corridor for a port to facilitate the mill.

An official at the site said that the villagers were disruptive and nothing could be done. He said that a contractor from the National Energy Corporation had been hired to do the survey for the construction of a port to service the steel mill.

President of the National Energy Corporation (NEC) Prakash Saith, said the surveyors left the site because they did not want confrontation with the villagers. He said that a public consultation would be held to discuss the matter.

“We do not want this situation to escalate and we are open to talks. There are some people who want to see this matter get out of hand. I am trying my best.

“Some of these people stormed my office in December, a few of them want to see confrontation but we are trying to avoid that,” Saith said.

He said that a company called Saipen had been given the contract for the survey. Saith said the NEC will continue to try to persuade the villagers to accept the benefits of the steel mill.

The demonstrators rushed to the site at about 9 am, after hearing that surveyors had arrived to carry out surveys for the construction of the port.

The earmarked site on the western side of the steel mill site is filled with lush mangrove trees and rivers. Villagers said they would protect the area with their lives.

Resident Sookdeo Rajkumar said, “They telling us they will relocate the mangrove. Like they feel we stupid or what? It take years for that mangrove to grow like that. Mangrove trees grow in shallow water and if they build a port there, how the hell mangrove trees will grow there? Where they relocating

the mangrove?”

He said that Government remains unwilling to listen to the pleas of the villagers. “We will make sure that we stop this project. No steel mill coming here,” Rajkumar said.

Several women from Pranz Gardens stood in the path of the survey crew, preventing them from mapping out a corridor for the proposed port.

Protester Judy Mohammed said, “We cannot stand by and allow them to disrupt our lives. We have a family and we will not be safe and comfortable here if a steel plant is built.”

Geophysicist Peter Vines, who joined the villagers, said, “We are standing in their way. We told them that we are not in support of this mill.”

At about noon, seeing the determination of the protesters, the surveyors packed up their equipment and left.