Naveen urges local MLAs to help Posco project come up

BHUBANSWAR: Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday urged all the MLAs from Jagatsinghpur district to extend their cooperation to ground the 12-million-tonne Posco steel project proposed to be established near Paradip.

Although all the MLAs of Jagatsinghpur were present in the meeting, local CPI Lok Sabha member Bibhu Prasad Tarai was conspicuous by his absence.

Mr Patnaik, who reviewed the progress of the Rs 52,000-crore project here, directed the officials to offer “best” possible resettlement and rehabilitation benefits to the local people.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, central range Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) P.K. Mohapatra said betel vines, prawn farms and agriculture lands – both government and private – presently under the occupation of the local people would be duly compensated.

“It was discussed in the meeting that the people who are going to be displaced, will be properly compensated. Besides the existing resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) package, they would be given transportation allowance. And if they so want, they can receive monetary compensation for their houses or get a readymade buildings in place,” the RDC said.

Mr Tarai made it clear that unless and until the chief minister visited the proposed site and interacted with the local people, there would be no solution to the Posco problem.

Incidentally, Mr Tarai, has been facilitating as mediator between the government and the anti-displacement forums.

Meanwhile, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the leading anti-Posco forum, did not turn up at the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meeting held at Jagatsinghpur collector’s office in the evening.