Four political parties, the CPI(Ml), CPI(Ml) liberation, SUCI (Communist) and CPIMl-ND on Thursday demanded immediate scrapping of the Posco project and slammed the State Government for its “arbitrary” and “undemocratic” attempt to suppress the anti-Posco movements and voice of local people.
“It is matter of great concern that since last eight years people of three gram panchayats like Gadakunjanga, Dhinkia and Nugaona of Jagatsinghpur district have been living a life of misery. No Government-sponsored development projects have been undertaken in these panchyats since then. Even the Post Office at Dhinkia is closed since last five years,” alleged CPI(Ml) liberation leader Judhisthir Mohapatra.
Mohapatra said, “The State Government should ensure better livelihoods and facilities to the local people instead of providing support to Posco, whose project will destroy the ecological diversity and acres of farmlands affecting interests of lakhs of people.”
He also urged the Government to study the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Niyamgiri mining issue and appealed to the Chief Minister to take consent of the local people before going ahead with any project.
The leaders also informed that a mega mass convention would be organsised in Bhubaneswar on May 31 to discuss about the Posco project and its impact, besides observing June 22 as ‘Black Day’ as the pact between of the State Government and Posco was signed on that day in 2005.
Earlier on Tuesday, five political parties, the CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc, RJD and Samajwadi Party (SP) had demanded that the State Government come forward with a White Paper on the Posco project to clear its stand.