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Tension at POSCO ‘site’ after clash

BHUBANESWAR: Palpable tension prevailed in the area earmarked for the mega steel project of POSCO-India in Jagatsinghpur district on Thursday following a clash between those supporting and opposing the project late on Wednesday night.

According to official sources, the clash took place around 10.30 pm in Gobindpur village after two bombs were allegedly hurled at a group of anti-POSCO activists who were holding a meeting on the roof of a pucca house to discuss their future course of action.

Although the bombs did not hit the target and one of them fell on a haystack, the activists came down in minutes and clashed with the supporters of the project who had come to attack them.

Two persons, belonging to the project-supporting, sustained injuries in the clash. One of them, identified as Natabar Khatua, had been admitted to the Shriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

Khatua’s son had reportedly lodged a complaint with the Kujang police. However, no one had been arrested till Thursday evening.

The police, however, did not go to Gobindpur village during the day. They went up to Balitutha, entry point to the proposed project sire where hundreds of supporters of the steel project had attacked the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti activists in November last year.

Following the November incident, a large number of policemen had been deployed in the area barring Dhinkia village, the nerve centre of the anti-POSCO agitation.

Police deployment was withdrawn from the locality after thousands of the anti-project activists stormed Balitutha locality on April 1 defying prohibitory orders.

POSCO-India had earlier announced to perform the ground breaking ceremony for the project in the locality on April 1, coinciding with the foundation day of the State as well as the foundation day of the South Korean company.

The company, however, had dropped its plans saying it would perform the ceremony at a later date after it was able to obtain certain sanctions required for the implementation of the project.

The company has not been able to take possession of any land in the proposed project site so far primarily due to strong opposition from a large section of the locals who were against displacement.

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