Other States - Orissa   

J.B.Patnaik cautions government

BHUBANESWAR: Leader of Opposition in Orissa Assembly, J. B. Patnaik on Sunday cautioned the Naveen Patnaik Government not to facilitate the proposed 12 million tonne per annum capacity steel project of Posco at the site earmarked for the venture in the State’s Jagatsinghpur district.

“The efforts being made by the State Government to displace people from the site earmarked for the proposed steel plant of POSCO by use of force need to be opposed and condemned,” Mr. Patnaik said at a press conference here.

Three times former chief minister came down heavily on the State Government for “making all out efforts to snatch away the livelihood sources of thousands of people in order to show favours to a company”.

Clarifying that he was not against POSCO or foreign direct investment, Mr. Patnaik questioned the government’s approach in going out of way and resorting to falsehood to facilitate establishment of the Korean company’s steel project.

Observing that the State and its people would suffer huge losses by the establishment of the steel project on the basis of the memorandum of understanding that had been signed by the State Government and the company, the senior Congress leader said that it was high time for the powers that be to have a re-look of the agreements.

In this context, Mr. Patnaik opposed to the government decision to allow the company set up a captive port instead of asking it to avail the services available at the Paradip port.

He also reiterated his opposition to the government’s move to provide water for the proposed steel plant from Jobra barrage at the cost of the farmers, and handing over the Khandadhar iron ore mines on lease without bothering about the effect it would have on the area’s ecology and water availability.

Fertile agricultural land and seaside forest that was also a livelihood source for the people should not be handed over to POSCO to set up a steel plant with SEZ status.

Mr. Patnaik claimed that the people in the villages under Nuagaon, Dhinkia and Gadakujang gram panchayats were all against handing over their land for the project.

“By winning over some people through various forms of inducements, the government was making a false claim that a majority of people in the area wanted the steel plant,” he observed.

Asked to clarify on the question of the monitoring of the progress on the steel project from time to time by the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi, Mr. Patnaik said that he would soon write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh raising his concerns.

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