Orissa govt should not renew contract with Posco: BJP

BHUBANESWAR: Warning Orissa government against renewing its MoU with Posco-India, the BJP on Monday accused Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) of showing "double standards" by allowing survey in the proposed project site near Paradip and thereby giving "tacit approval" to it.

"The MoU with Posco which expires today should not be renewed at any cost as the proposed project in fertile area will prove disastrous for poor farmers," senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Threatening that any move to hand over Khandadhar mines to Posco for extracting iron ore and allowing it to draw water from Jobra barrage near Cuttack would be opposed tooth and nail, Mohapatra said all concessions including facilities offered under ECZ would also be opposed.

On PPSS allowing survey work in proposed plant site villages, he said, "it is nothing but double standard. By giving consent to the survey PPSS has clearly shown it is ready for setting up of the plant in the area".

Asking the government to learn from Bhopal gas tragedy in which the main accused of the US firm escaped, he said it should it should not allow a foreign company to set up a plant.

Virtually rejecting BJP's demand for abandoning the Posco project, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said renewal of the MoU is being processed and "whatever will be done will be according to rules and regulations".