The Samajwadi Party, State unit and the Lokshakti Abhiyan on Friday raised objections to the proposed JSW steel and other plants to come up in Kujang block in Jagatsinghpur district and sought intervention of the Governor and the State Pollution Control Board, respectively, for stopping of the projects for which a public hearing has been scheduled.
SP activists led by State president Rabi Behera, general secretary Sudarshan Pradhan and State youth wing president Subrat Kumar Lenka organised a demonstration before the Raj Bhavan here.
Later, they submitted a memorandum to Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal demanding cancellation of the public hearing, withdrawal of all police cases against people who had opposed Posco steel plant earlier and return of all 2,700 acres of land to people. The party said the proposed steel plant, cement plant and port at Jatadhari river mouth would destroy the environment of the locality.
Lokshakti Abhiyan president Prafulla Samantara sent a letter to the Member Secretary, State Pollution Control Board, objecting to the projects.
Mentioning that there was no study report of cumulative effect of pollution by more than four plants, he said the public hearing was scheduled in gross violation of MoEFCC office Memorandum (OM). Steel, cement and thermal power plants would be polluting the environment, he said.
“The proposed steel, cement and thermal projects would harm agricultural, water bodies and air. Ash pond, cement dusts, fossil fuel will make this area full of green house gases. Domestic animals and fish will be affected because of heat and chemical pollution. Besides, the proposed Jatadhari port will harm health of people and economic sources of villagers. Therefore, the green approval should be denied to all these projects in the interest of natural resources and ecological justice to the people,”argued Samantara.