[Reader-list] Anti-Posco:MOEF Review Committee--Non Transparent, Shocking and Violates NGT concerns

[asit das]

 Anti-Posco : Villagers resist the government’s push to acquire
lands<http://sanhati.com/articles/3634/>

*August 30, 2012*

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*Click here for more photos »* <http://sanhati.com/poscophotos/>

*MoEF Review Committee visit to the proposed POSCO project area: Non
Transparent, Shocking and Violates NGT concerns*

It may be informed that the Review Committee, which was formed by the
Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in pursuance to the suspension of
environment clearance to the proposed POSCO project by National Green
Tribunal (NGT) , visited the proposed project site on 21st August 2012.
There was no prior information about the visit of the committee given to
the people likely to be affected by the proposed project, though it seems
the state administrative apparatus was fully aware of it along with the
brokers working for the project for the last 6-7 years. Our people came to
know about the visit suddenly only after the media reported about it.

The committee went to mainly Noliasahi and Nuagaon villages, where land has
been acquired by force and deception, and the approach road which was being
constructed from IOCL side. They deliberately choose not to visit Dhinkia
Panchayat and interact with our people. This is quite bizarre as we have
been opposing the project from its inception in 2005. The whole visit to
the area was completed in just about an hour. The 2000 acres which is in
Dhinkia Panchayat, which could not be usurped by the government due to
opposition from our people, is key to the project due to its landscape. It
is 3.5 km x 3 km whereas the width of the land which has been acquired is
barely half a kilometer. The team also did not visit the proposed port site
at the mouth of river Jatadhari. Without visiting such key sites and taking
opinion of the key people, the report which will be given by such committee
can only be eyewash and would be to the taste of central and state
governments and the IDCO, which are hell bent upon implementing the project
despite stiff opposition from people. Interestingly, the beneficiaries of
the project eying on contract and construction work seem to have enjoyed
confidence of the committee as they were the privileged people who could
talk to visiting members.

On March 30, 2012 National Green Tribunal (NGT) had suspended the
environment clearance to the project on the ground that clearance was given
to the complete project of 12 MTPA basing on the Environment Impact
Assessment done for 4 MTPA capacity. MoEF had appointed the review
committee for ‘re-assessment and review’ as ordered by the NGT. However
such un-informed and quick visit to only a portion of the proposed area is
likely to capture an incomplete assessment of the possible environmental
damage the proposed plant may cause.

PPSS strongly opposes such biased visit of the review committee and demand
to scrap the project basing on the Saxena and majority view of Meena Gupta
committee reports. PPSS has formally submitted a complaint to Ms. Jayanthi
Natrajan, Minister, Environment and Forests opposing such a visit of
pretence. A proper assessment of possible damage to the environment could
be done by an impartially chosen committee which would visit all the key
sites and meet all stake holders. This visit of the committee has been
projected by a section of the media as reparatory exercise to give
clearance to the project. Even a reputed Odia daily newspaper like Dharitri
(edited by ruling BJD MP Sri Tathagat Satapathy ) ridiculed the way the
committee visited the area and selectively saw sites and met people guided
by district administration- all within an hour (Dhartiri of 22 August 2012
attached).

The PPSS will continue to oppose any unjust and undemocratic step taken
anywhere to impose the project on our unwilling people. At the same time we
appeal our friends who have been with us all these years to please write
complaints to MoEF objecting such stage-managed visits and to generate
public opinion everywhere highlighting the violations of law, ethics and
democracy done deliberately by the governments at the centre and in the
state. We would also request you to please inform the NGT that this visit
of the MOEF committee is a clear contempt of the NGT order.

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