On the completion of the eighth year of the signing of a MoU with Posco India by the State Government to start the steel mill here, the anti-project outfit Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) observed the Black Day on June 22 last.
Notably, on June 22, 2005, the State Government had entered into an agreement with the Posco for their biggest ever investment in India in terms of the establishment of a steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district.
However, controversies have been dogging land acquisition for the South Korean firm for the last eight years with the State Government having failed to provide the required land as yet.
The PPSS has been waging a struggle against the illegal land acquisition for the steel plant thus putting a spoke in the taking off of the project.
A big procession had started from Dhinkia and Govindapur villages and culminated in Patana village where a huge protest meeting was held by the PPSS activists. CPM MP from West Bengal Prabodh Panda, lok Janasakti Abhiyan president Prafulla Samantara, CPI leader Ashish Kanungo, Forward Bloc leader Santosh Mitra and Congress leader Jayant Biswal led the procession.
The meeting was presided over by PPSS secretary Sisir Mohapatra in absence of its president Abhaya Sahoo, who is now cooling his heels in jail after being arrested in connection with several cases against him.
The speakers lambasted the State and the Central Governments for their honeymoon with the Posco and for forcing the local inhabitants to leave their fertile land and betel vines for the steel plant.
The company and State Government have violated all norms, which may cause catastrophe in future like Uttarakhand as many old and strong trees have been cut in the areas making the villages vulnerable to the sea water, alleged the leaders.
They also warned that the struggle will continue till the Government cancels the project.