Orissa may block S Korean Prez's visit to Posco site

With activists intensifying their stir against Posco’s proposed steel project near Paradip, the Orissa government is likely to say no to a visit by South Korean President Lee Myung Bak to the site early next year.

The ground situation at the proposed site is not conducive for such a visit and the state government is mulling it, a senior government official said today. In fact, thanks to the situation, authorities could not even hold a meeting of the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Council scheduled last month, the official added.

Lee, scheduled to visit India for the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi on January 26, had earlier expressed an interest to attend the inauguration of Posco’s proposed greenfield project at Kujang in Jagatsinghpur district. The CPI-backed Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) has said that it would oppose Lee’s visit.

“We will inform the South Korean embassy not to send the President to the proposed plant site area,” PPSS President Abhay Sahoo said. “People are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect their fertile land,” he added.

Posco, the South Korean steel major, is planning to set up a 12 million tonne per annum steel mill at an investment of Rs 51,000 crore. Though the company signed an MoU with the state government on June 22, 2005, work has not progressed due to hurdles in land acquisition. While the company required 4,000 acres, it has not been able to acquire an inch till date.