Dear Chief Minister,

We have come to know that 25 platoons of police force were deployed by your government at near-by areas of the proposed POSCO steel plant and forcefully occupied different schools close to the affected villages on 11th May 2010. The purpose of this was to forcefully evict the innocent villagers from the proposed plant site of POSCO Company.

As you know, the proposed plant would affect seven revenue villages comprising 11 hamlets in three gram panchayats of Erasama block in Kujang tehsil (Jagatsinghpur district).The total land area sanctioned by the state government for the project is 4,004 acres. Almost one third belongs to the Scheduled Castes and other backward castes. The project would divert 1,253.255 ha of forest land and will require felling of about 2.8. lakh trees only for the integrated steel plan

and captive minor port at Jatadhari Mouth. About another 30,000 people depending for fishing at Jatadhar river mouth will loss their livelihoods. The construction of a port will also affect the water flow in the Jatadhar River and cause water-logging, which will affect the entire agricultural activities in the district. Around 5,000 betel-vines in the this area tended by about 10,000 cultivators gives an average annual income is Rs.1 lakh per acre each apart from providing wages about Rs.1 lakh of ancillary employment being generated for number of daily labouers. The proposed project for supply of 3126.75 cu m/hr water from Jobra barrage at Cuttack on the Mahanandi River would heavily affect the water supply for domestic and irrigation in the areas of Cuttack city and farm lands of Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Orissa. Proposed iron ore mining project of POSCO at Khandadhar would be granted 6204 Ha. of lands, which would affect more than 10000 ha. of forest cover apart from displacing more than 50 tribal villages Lahunipada block, Sundargarh district.

As you are aware, 30,000 villagers under the banner of POSCO Pratirodh Sangam Samiti (PPSS) are peacefully protesting against the proposed integrated steel plant in their area for the last five years. They strongly feel that the proposed plant will destroy their livelihoods and will have a detrimental effect on the environment in the area.

It is an irony that instead of accepting and respecting the voice and concerns of the people, the government is attempting to mitigate the democratic movement through the use of force.

We urge you to take the following action immediately to ensure good democratic practice and to restore peace and justice in the state.

Immediate withdraw the police force from the proposed site. Withdraw all the false charges against the local villagers.

Ensure that POSCO immediately withdraws from the proposed project for the greater benefit of the state. Come up with planned and sustainable initiatives for social and environmental development in the area, such as the promotion of paddy

cultivation and fishery related activities. These will ensure the future livelihoods of communities living there.

We hope that you will take the above actions and restore peace, justice and sustainable development immediately. This is the responsibility of the government, ruling for the people.

Name :
Orgainisation :
Date and Place :

Call/Fax/Email :

Shri Naveen Patnaik,
Chief Minister of Orissa
Address: Naveen Nivas, Aerodrome Road, P.O.-Bhubaneswar, Dist.-Khurda
Pin -751001(Orissa)
Tel. No.(O) 0674- 2531100,2535100 (FAX)
Tel. No.(R) 0674- 2590299, 2591099,2590844,2591100,2590833
Email : cmo@ori.nic.in

Shri Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister’s Office,
Room number 152, South Block, New Delhi, Fax: + 91 11 2301 6857

P. Chidambaram, Minister of Home affairs, Residence: 19 Safdarjung Road, New Delhi 110011, Phone: 91 11 23792222
Office: Room No. 104, North Block, New Delhi 110011, Phone: 91 11 23092462, 91 11 23094686, Fax: 91 1123094221

Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court,Tilak Marg, New Delhi -1,
Fax: +91 11 233 83792, Email: supremecourt@nic.in

Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of India,
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi 110 001, Tel: +91 11 230 74448,\
Fax: +91 11 2334 0016, Email: chairnhrc@nic.in

Mr. T. Theethan, IAS, The Joint Secretary, National Commission for SC,
5th Floor, ‘B’ Wing, Lok Nayak Bhavan, Khan Market, New Delhi 110103,
India. Email: jointsecretary-ncsc@nic.in

Related posts:

1. URGENT APPEAL FROM ANTI-POSCO PEOPLE”S MOVEMENT IN ORISSA
2. Join the Resistance Week 15th -21st May 2010
3. D Raja’s Letter To Prime Minister Of India