The demand was made before the Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh when a delegation of the Left parties including CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc along with RJD and Samajwadi Party, met him at New Delhi.
In a joint memorandum submitted to the union minister, the five parties pointed out that though they supported industrialisation, farmers could not vacate their fertile land for housing Posco’s 12 mtpa mega steel plant.
The delegation led by CPI leader D Raja claimed that forest and environment clearance to Posco’s proposed project was given based on forged documents submitted by the state government and the South Korean steel major.
Both the state government and Posco-India, meanwhile, refuted the allegation.
Raja and CPI (M)’s Basudev Acharya and Forward Bloc’s Nrupen Ray pointed out that both the central committees, one by NC Saxena and another by Meena Gupta, have found violation of Forest Rights Act, Environment Protection Act and CRZ Act during implementation of the Rs51,000 crore project by Posco.
People at the proposed plant site villages had been earning their livelihood by undertaking betel vine cultivation and other agricultural activities since generations, they said adding there was no valid point to target the fertile land.
They also opposed Posco’s proposed captive port project which was planned to be developed at Jatadhar river mouth, barely 12km from an existing port at Paradip