Bhubaneswar, Jul 23 (IANS): Construction work at Jindal Steel and Power Ltd's (JSPL) steel and power project in Odisha was partially hit Monday as many workers kept away from work and villagers demanded more compensation for loss of land.

Hundreds staged a demonstration in two places near the plant site in Nisha village near Angul town, about 160 km from here, and shouted slogans against the company.

The protesters vowed to continue the protests until their demands were met.

"Security has been beefed up around the plant site to avoid any untoward incidents", police officer S.N. Muduli told IANS.

The villagers alleged that the company paid them less compensation compared to other companies.

JSPL official Prashanta Hota told IANS: "The construction work has been hit. We are hopeful it will get resolved soon."

JSPL has been building a six-million tonne per annum steel plant along with an 810 MW captive power generation facility in the area.

In January this year, construction activities were also disrupted when villagers held demonstrations demanding more compensation.