Report by Amarnath Parida; Jagatsinghpur: Uncertainty looms for conducting the Rehabilitation and Periphery Area Development Advisory Committee in the month of November to expedite Posco activities due to lack of interest & negligence of district administration and intervention of members of United Action Committee for Posco steel project.

Ever since the singing of the MOU for the biggest ever FDI with Posco company, four years ago, there has been stiff resistance movement led by Posco Protirodha Sangram Samiti. There is no progress of land acquisition problem so Posco activities have been hanging on balance. As there is no symbol of progress, South Korean President Mr Lee Myung has secluded to visit to India in January for the Republic day celebration. Company has also decided to lay the foundation stone of Posco project by South Korean president Mr Myung on Januray’10 at Posco site.

Meanwhile, central and state government have shown their interest to expedite Posco activities in which industry department has directed the district administration for the preparedness of Ribbon Cutting ceremony by South Korean President on this occasion. As the suggestion of central government, state government decided to conduct RPDAC meeting in this month to bring healthy and conducive atmosphere in Posco site as well as to finalize the valuation of private land with land losers. Government also ensured the district administration to conduct RPDAC meeting in this month for said purpose. As per the directive of government, administration fixed 16th November to conduct the RPDAC meeting.

Hearing the date of RPDAC meeting, UAC members led by Tamil Pradhan, Nirvya Smantray , Anadi Rout and others gave suggestion to the administration to conduct after bringing normalcy in trouble torn Gobindpur and Dhnikia villagers. They also urged to resettle left out villagers nearly 150 families who had been left their villages due to ongoing violence. District collector Mr Gyanranjan Dash interacted with UAC members recently and gave assurance to take steps to resettle these villagers before RPDAC meeting. But no steps have been taken to resettle the villagers to bring peace in trouble tron villages.

On other hand, Revenue Divisional Commissioner Mr Ashok Kumar Meena suggested the district administration to defer the scheduled date to study the feasibility of Posco site, to know the socio economic survey and demands of the villagers. Mr Meena also visited the affected villagers and Posco company officials also presented the detail report about survey, demands of the villagers for his study. It has caused the delay of conducting RPDAC meeting within this month due to lack of interest and negligence of officials.

One UAC member Mr Nirvaya Samntray has expressed that frequent transfer of district collector, ADM, Paradip and other revenue officials have paralyzed Posco activities. Villagers have alleged that newly joined officials from RDC to Tahsildar have not yet aware about their issues, sentiments of affected people so how could they success to expedite Posco activities. They informed that administration has failed to resettle the left out villagers in respective villagers being raised by UAC members so administration is in quandary to conduct RPDAC meeting. They have also suspected that the foundation stone programme by South Korean President would be affected for following issues. Contacted, District Rehabilitation Officer Mr Surjeet Dash has confessed that scheduled date of 16th November for RPDAC meeting has been differed so no date has yet finalised.