A Central team is scheduled to visit the site of the proposed Rs 51,000 crore Posco steel project in Paradip next week to ascertain Orissa government’s claim that there was no tribal family in the area.
The visit by the Central team headed by N. C. Saxena, a member of National Advisory Council, to the proposed plant site assumes significance in the face of allegations that the State government violated Forest Land Rights Act while recommending Posco’s application for forest land conversion.
The State government in its recommendation had mentioned that no tribal was living in the three gram panchayat areas under Ersama block, demarcated for housing the Rs 51,000 crore mega steel project.
It had also claimed that no other traditional forest dweller was in possession of land since three generations and those identified to get affected due to the project had not made any claim over the forest land under the Act.
However, CPI-backed Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) alleged that the State government misled the Centre on tribals in the area as well as on traditional forest dwellers.
“There are about 10 tribal families at Polang area under Gada Kujang gram panchayat and a large number of non-tribal traditional forest dwellers in possession of forest land in the three gram panchayats,” claimed PPSS President Abhay Sahu while welcoming the Central team.
Posco India had been given forest clearance by the Centre in December, 2009, based on State government’s recommendation.
Of the total 4004.19 acre of land initially applied for by Posco India, 2958.79 acre was forest land.
The team led by Mr. Saxena, which recently visited Lanjigarh area in Kalahandi district to verify implementation of Forest Right Act at the proposed mining area of Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), would also hold a public hearing on Posco project on July 22, a day before visiting Dhinkia, Gada Kujang and Nuagaon gram panchayats near Paradip.
