In Odisha, land acquisition for the Posco steel project will resume tomorrow in the Gobindpur area near Paradip of Jagatsinghpur district.Additional District Magistrate of Paradip, Sarojkant Choudhury, told AIR at Bhubaneswar that the administration would go ahead tomorrow with the land acquisition process for the 52,000 crore rupees Posco steel project. He, however, said the adverse weather condition due to depression over Bay of Bengal might delay the process.Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), an anti-Posco body spearheading the agitation against the project, has decided for a face-off with the administration which is backed by 20 platoons of security forces. The body has made it clear that the local villagers of Gobindpur including women, children and elderly people would not allow the administration to acquire their farm land. Sources said, a number of civil society members from Odisha are visiting Gobindpur tomorrow. Social activists Swami Agnivesh and Vandana Shiva are also likely to come to the project area shortly to back the protesting villagers.Meanwhile, five political parties including CPI, CPI (M), Forward Block, RJD and Samajwadi Party have convened a meeting at Bhubaneswar tomorrow to chalk out future stratgies against forceful land acquisition by Naveen Patnaik government. Main opposition Congress and BJP leaders of Odisha area also keeping a close watch on the situation and have expressed their willingness to back the agitating villagers.
News On AIR | June 16, 2011 8:47 PM
Land acquisition for Posco to resume on Friday