Hundreds of anti-Posco protestors and anti-displacement organisations under the banner of the Posco Pratirodh Jan Sangharsh Manch (PPJSM) observed a State-wide ‘Black Day’ on Saturday, June 22, the day on which the State Government had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Posco in 2005, and held a protest meeting here demanding immediate cancellation of the pact.
The protestors blasted the State and Central Governments for their “arbitrary” and “undemocratic” attempt to suppress the anti-Posco movement and the voices of local people at the proposed project site.
“The project will destroy livelihoods of thousands of farmers, Dalits, women, children, fisher people and indigenous people. If the anti-Posco movement is suppressed now, it will affect many similar struggles in the State and even in the country,” said rights activist Biswapriya Kanungo.
He informed that the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) too held a demonstration at Gobindpur village in the project area. Senior journalist Rabi Das, Gananath Patra, CPI(Ml) State secretary Sibaram and tribal leader Sudarshan lohar too slammed the Central and State Governments for promoting the Posco project.
The anti-Posco leaders too urged the Government to release PPSS leader Abhay Sahoo and other arrested
anti-Posco movement leaders from jail. The protestors also burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.