Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik has reacted to Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh’s statement issued on Sunday, stating that there is no forceful land acquisition at Posco-India’s proposed project site at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district.
“I reiterate that my government believes in peaceful industrialisation in the state,” Patnaik said on Monday. “We are constantly monitoring the situation and we will take appropriate steps,” he added.
Ramesh on Sunday had issued a statement asking the state government not to indulge in forceful land acquisition for the Posco-India project.
?The Posco steel-cum-power-cum port project in Orissa was given environment and forest clearance by the ministry of environment and forests after a great deal of thought and a careful balancing of various factors. However, I hope that the state government will not use this clearance as a licence for forcible acquisition of land,” Ramesh said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the anti-project outfit Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) is preparing for a violent showdwon on June 17 when the district administration would resume its land acquisition process after a 5-day Rajo Festival holidays.
In fact, the PPSS convenor, Abhaya Sahu, is under tremendous pressure from the villegers of Gobindpur, Dhinkia and Patna to resort to violence to prevent the land acquisition by the district administrations.
Over 200 children and their mothers slept on the sand on June 10 and June 11 blocking the entry points to prevent the entry of the police force into the area.
The PPSS has appealed all the opposition political parties and people’s leaders to oppose the state government’s attempt to forceful land acquisition for Posco project. The Congress and the BJP have crticised the state government for indulging in forceful land acquisition. The Congress has, in fact,sent a team to the spot to study the situaiton. The BJP too is planning to visit the site within a couple of days.