Posco project work to start this year: Korean envoy

Admitting much delay in implementation of the Posco steel plant in Odisha, the South Korean ambassador to India, Kim Joong- Keoun on Wednesday sounded optimistic on starting work on the showpiece project this year.

"We are hopeful of starting work on the Posco project this year. There is progress on the project. I was briefed that the state government has done its best to expedite the project work. I hope that a couple of difficulties will be cleared soon," Keoun said after meeting chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

The envoy said, "Of course, it has been delayed. The MoU was signed nearly eight years back. It (the Posco project) has been much delayed compared to Korean standards. The Koreans are very quick."

The South Korean ambassador also visited Posco's office at Paradip, the port town close to the project site and expressed satisfaction over land acquisition and other ground level work. Keoun interacted with top officials of the company there.

Posco India chairman and managing director Yong-Won Yoon said out of 2,700 acres of land needed to start Phase-I operations of the steel project, Posco has already received 1,700 acres and hoped to receive the remaining land very soon.

Meanwhile, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the anti-Posco outfit, has vowed to intensify stir against the project. Bringing some novelty in its prolonged agitation, the organisation has decided to stage "bare bodied" protests in the project area from tomorrow. PPSS leader Abhaya Sahu said, "Men, women and kids are going to confront the district administration wherever they enter to acquire land in the project site."

In parallel, the Jagatsinghpur district administration announced it will exclude Dhinkia and Patana villages from their land acquisition drive. Though the government had earlier declared that land will not be acquired at Dhinkia, the administration has now excluded Patana village considering the prevailing tension there.

"We have no proposal to acquire land at Dhinkia and Patana villages. But the PPSS leaders are misleading the villagers to intensify stir against the project. We would not cross the border line of Gobindpur," said district collector, Satya Kumar Mallick.

The district administration on Wednesday demolished 10 betel vines and disbursed compensation of Rs 17.93 lakh to their owners.

"We have already acquired 2,000 acres of land out of which 1,701 acres of land has been handed over to Posco company. We have obtained forest clearance from Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) for 858 acres of government land existing in Gobindpur out of which 700 acres of land would be handed over to the company. So far, the administration has acquired 450 acres of land till on Wednesday and rest would be acquired within one week," he added. Superintendent of police Satyabrat Bhoi said, "The presence of police forces at Gobindpur will be gradually scaled down."