Land acquisition for POSCO to begin soon

BHUBANESWAR: Facing flak for delay in providing land to the proposed POSCO steel project involving country's biggest FDI of Rs 51,000 crore, Orissa government is contemplating land acquisition in Kujang area next month excluding trouble-hit Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages, official sources said on Tuesday.

The decision was taken at the two-day review meeting of steel projects chaired by Steel and Mines Secretary, AK Dalwai.

The state-run Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) would start the land acquisition process, the sources said.

However, the company had been asked to go ahead without Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages where a movement against land acquisition was on.

"I don't see any harm in begining ground work at the proposed plant site without Dhinkia and Gobindpur", IDCO chief general manager, Srikant Kabi said.

He said land acquisition in other villages would not be a problem after getting environmental clearance for setting up the 12mtpa greenfield steel mill and its captive port at Jatadhari mouth.