POSCO: reply to Raja’s question in Rajya Sabha

This is the full question and reply from Monday in the Rajya Sabha relating to POSCO. Unfortunately Raja has phrased the question badly, referring to environmental rather than forest clearance, so they have dodged the point blank question as to whether they will withdraw it or not. It does however say that the government should not take the land. GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF... Read More

Letter to Jairam Ramesh on the committee set up for POSCO matters

31 July 2010 To Shri Jairam Ramesh Hon. Minister of State Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) Government of India Ref: Committee set up by the MoEF to look into POSCO matter Dear Sir, This is with reference to the committee set up by your ministry to look into the forest rights issues and others in POSCO project area in Orissa. We, the undersigned, are shocked that the... Read More

MOEF sets up panel to probe charges against Posco

Meena Gupta who is the chair of the committee was environment secretary when the environment clearance for the Steel plant was granted in July 2007 (July 2007 is what the POSCO’s website mentions). So would be sitting in review of some aspects of the project which were granted environment clearance during her tenure. Economic Times NEW DELHI: In further trouble for South Korean... Read More

Orissa halts Posco land acquisition

PTI: Orissa government today halted the land acquisition process overnight for Posco’s Rs51,000 crore mega steel project near here after facing stiff opposition from villagers. “The land acquisition and verification work, which began yesterday, was halted today due to opposition from people. We will start it soon after holding talks with villagers,” Jagatsinghpur... Read More

Avatar’s Na’vi in London to stop Vedanta mine

Avatar style protest Two Na’vi from James Cameron’s film Avatar today paid a visit to British mining company Vedanta Resources’ Annual General Meeting in Westminster, London. The Na’vi joined tribal rights organization Survival in a demonstration against Vedanta, over its controversial plan to mine the sacred mountain of India’s Dongria Kondh tribe. Martin Horwood MP,... Read More

Land acquisition by govt. for Posco illegal, says Central team

Villagers at the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti rally at Balitutha village in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa on May 19, 2010. Photo: Prafulla Das PTI The Orissa government on Tuesday began land acquisition for the proposed Rs. 51,000 crore Posco steel project in Jagathsinghpur district, even as a Central team termed the process as “illegal” saying that the Forest Rights Act... Read More

URGENT: Police gears up for yet another onslaught despite FRA Committee in proposed POSCO site

Surya Sahankar Dash News is coming in that several platoons of police are assembling at Gada Kujang police station to start a ‘Rapid Action’ for Re-survey of the proposed project area, on the spot compensation and demolition of villages and betel-vine plantations. This is just a day after the FRA Committee visited the area and concluded that FRA was being violated, that... Read More

“Do Not Renew the POSCO MoU” Petition

The POSCO- Orissa govt MoU is set to expire today, exactly five years after it was first signed.  This MoU, which basically restricts the government’s role to that of a mere “facilitator” for the project and an agency for land acquisition, is highly unethical and should not have been signed in the first place.  Five years later, having witnessing the state’s... Read More

‘No signs of Maoists in the Posco agitation yet’

Rediff On May 15 armed police lathi-charged and fired rubber bullets on 4,000 protesters of the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, an umbrella organisation which opposes a 12-million steel plant proposed to be set up by the South Korean steel giant Pohang Steel Company, spread over 4,004 acres of bio-diversity rich and fertile forest land. Retired Bombay high court Justice Hosbet... Read More

Scrap Posco steel project: fact-finding team

Special Correspondent The Hindu “Land acquisition violative of locals’ constitutional rights” ‘May 15 police attack on peaceful protesters totally uncalled for’ ‘Orissa violated international norms on treatment of the injured, by not providing medical help’ BHUBANESWAR: A fact-finding team, which visited several villages at the site selected for the controversial... Read More