Even as anti-Posco leaders threatened to close all entry points to the 4,004-acre that form the core of the 12-million tonne steel plant site, the Orissa government agency, IIDCO, which acquires land on behalf of the government for industry, has announced that it has 200 acre on which Posco can start work immediately.
The Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IIDCO) CMD, Priyabrata Patnaik, told FE: ?We have 200 acre at Gadakujanga gram panchayat in Jagatsinghpur district. It’s not forest land, it’s not disputed. The land is in our possession. Posco can start work there immediately.?
The rest of the land is spread over Patna, Dhinkiya and Gobindpur gram panchayats, where the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) writ runs large. When the South Korean president had come to India as chief guest for Republic Day last year, Posco was mulling a foundation stone laying ceremony ? they were advised against it ? at Gadakujanga.
The green clearance to Posco got a mixed reaction. On Tuesday, while PPSS protested against the decision by organising a rally, the United Action Committee, a pro-Posco outfit, organised a meeting at Gadakujanga to welcome the MoEF decsion.
The PPSS, the outfit which is spearheading the movement against the location of the Posco-India project at Kujanga of Jagatsinghpur district, organised a massive rally. The PPSS announced that the entry points to the core area of the project, will be sealed from Wednesday. The PPSS president Abhay Sahu said state government and Posco officials and also the supporters of the project would not be allowed inside.