Orissa to appoint oficers to look after RR for POSCO project

Bhubaneswar, Jun 20 (UNI) The Orissa government today decided to appoint an independent officer to be assisted by two zonal officers to look into the rehabilitation and resettlement for the displaced people due to the Rs 51,000 crore POSCO steel project at Paradip.

A high level meeting held under chairmanship of Steel and Mines Minister Padmanav Behera took the decision after reviewing the progress of the POSCO project, considered to be the largest FDI in the country.

South Korea Steel major POSCO had signed a MoU with the state government in June last year for setting up of a 12 million tonne mega steel plant at Paradip. The company had already set up its Indian subsidiary as POSCO-India to establish the plant.

Official sources said the meeting also decided to constitute a rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) for the project at the earliest and asked the Revenue Department to take necessary step in this regard.

With the announcement of new RR policy, the government, felt that it was necessary to have an independent rehabilitation and resettlement officer to systematically implement the policy.

The government has also asked the POSCO authority to set up an HRD and technical Training Institute for the displaced families forthwith and take immediate steps for development of coastal shelter plantation in the project area.

The meeting decided that the POSCO would undertake avenue plantation on four major roads in and around Paradip and the project area during the current season.

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