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Bhubaneswar: The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) is observing June 22 (Wednesday) as Black Day in an absolute mark of protest to the Posco project. Revisiting the very first day of June 22, 2005 on which the State government had signed the memorandum of understanding for the project, PPSS is all geared up for another round of saying no to the proposed mega plant — this time in a point black manner.
Though it has been six long years as days and weeks melded into months and years — there have been so much public outcry, so many eyeball to eyeball confrontations, high- level administrative meetings including RDC and the Central Environment Minister’s crucial nod — things at POSCO front have been highly dramatic. After the voices of demand from United Action Committee were heard for sometime, then we heard PPSS’ voices of denial.
From five villagers, barring Dhinkia and Govindur, the local administration has claimed to have acquired 1,865 acres of land and have handed over to Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO). The administration has started working on the land acquired so far and in the meantime the resettlement colony at Polang has also been inaugurated.
Posco on Tuesday said that it would proceed with its mega steel project in phases and pretty soon there will be the renewal of MOU with the company.
“Today the anti-Posco brigade is joined by the veteran CPI leader S Sudhakar Reddy and opposition Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan, besides all the state leaders from political parties under the banner of CPI, ”said President, Posco Protirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) Abhaya Sahu.
Notably , CPI’s National Deputy General Secretary Sudhakar Reddy declared today that the party would observe black day nationwide on June 24 in protest against Posco.
On the other hand, a student body today approached the national child rights commision to register protest against use of children as human shield to protest the Posco project in Jagatsinghpur. Members under the banner of Delhi Orissa Students Association (DOSA) met the chairperson of the commission and expressed their anguish.
Similarly, Opposition leader Bhupinder Singh and BJP MP Rudranarayan Pani took up the Posco issue with Union Minister for Rural Development Vilasrao Deshmukh at New Delhi. While Pani urged to stop land acquisition for Posco, Singh discussed the MoU renewal issue with the minister.
