NCP sees a Nandigram in POSCO proj in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, Dec 5: The Nationalist Congress Party today demanded an all party meeting on controversial POSCO project as the party believed that the project site at Kujang was forcibly taken over by police, mafia and outsiders.

Talking to newspersons, NCP's state leader Ashok Das alleged the state government was trying to throttle the democratic movement of the local people, whose lands were taken over for the project of South Korean steel major, POSCO.

He said the police had let loose a reign of terror in the area and targeting the anti POSCO agitators to suppress the agitation against the mega steel plant.

The situation at Dhinkia, Gadakujang and Nuagaon, the proposed site for the POSCO project, would turn into another Nandigram if the police forces deployed there were not withdrawn, Mr Das warned.

The NCP leader said Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should learn a lesson from his counterpart in West Bengal on Nandigram issue and called for an all party meeting before acquiring land for the project.

He also alleged the government was violating the guidelines of the Supreme Court and the Central government by acquiring agricultural land without holding any discussion with the people for the project.

UNI