No negative attitude towards Posco project, says Odisha government

BHUBANESWAR: Rejecting the allegation made by certain senior executives of Posco-India, Odisha government said it harboured no 'negative attitude' towards the South Korean steel major's proposed 12 mtpa greenfield steel facility near Paradip.

"We have extended all support to Posco-India's project. The state has no negative attitude towards the project and its developer," Chief Secretary B K Patnaik said.

The state government's remark came a day after Posco-India's Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Yong-Won Yoon expressed regret over Odisha's 'attitude' towards the project at a seminar held at Paradip, about 12 km from the company's proposed project site.

Though Posco had earlier decided to conduct its seminar at Nuagaon, one of the villages in the proposed plant site area, it had to shift the venue as police didn't allow.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the Chief Secretary also did not attend the seminar.

Responding to the charges by Posco-India's CMD Yoon that the local police did not allow South Koreans to enter into the plant site area, the chief secretary said, "as such there was no ban on the entry of foreigners including South Koreans into the area.

"However, the local police restricted their movement to the area from the law and order point of view."