Majority villagers boycott public hearing on POSCO project

Kujang, Orissa, Apr 15 (UNI) Several people from villages likely to be affected by the POSCO steel plant project, today boycotted the public hearing on the project, conducted by the Jagatsinghpur District Administration and State Pollution Control Board (SPCB).

Villagers from Nuagaon, Dhinkia, Gobindapur, Goudakujanga, Patana and Noliasahi boycotted the public hearing meeting alleging that that district administration has failed to pacify the prevailing situation.

However, a few people from these villages, who attended the meeting, questioned the district administration regarding the displacement and rehabilitation proposal and claimed that the mega steel plant would create an adverse impact in the surrounding environment.

Tension prevailed for sometime as some local villagers opposed the participation of NGOs in the public hearing and asked their representatives to keep silent.

The villagers criticised the district administration for organising such an important public hearing just 15 kms away from the proposed site for the Steel plant.

Nirvaya Mohapatra, a resident of Dhinkia, claimed that displaced people in large number would have participated if the meeting was organised in the villages.

Villagers urged the district authority not to allow the South Korea steel major to set up the 12 million tonne steel plant in their villages and a captive port near the Jatadhari confluence as both the projects, they argued, would cause pollution in the area.

SPCB Regional Officer D K Rout said the suggestion of the people would be submitted to the Project authority.

POSCO sources said they have sought the help of Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) for the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) to set up the captive port at the Jatadhari river mouth, 10 kms from the Paradip.

The company had also sought the aid of India-based Consulting Engineering Services (CES) and Denmark-based Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) to conduct survey work and the EIA in the area.

Additional District Magistrate Dillip Mohanty said the suggestion of the locals would be taken into account before the commencement of work by the POSCO.

Ever since the POSCO signed a MoU with the Orissa government for setting up of the Rs 51000 crore mega steel plant, the largest FDI in the country, the local people likely to be displaced in the project are up in arms against the project.

They have erected barricades preventing the district and POSCO officials to enter into the area.

UNI