RPDAC meet soon to finalise Posco package

In a shot in the arm for the 12-million tonne per annum Posco project in Orissa, the district administration in Jagatsinghpur has decided to conduct the meeting of Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) in the last week of this month.

The RPDAC meet is aimed at finalizing the compensation package for the families affected by the $12 billion (Rs 55,000 crore) project to be set up near Paradip.

The decision to hold the RPDAC meeting comes close on the heels of Posco getting the forest clearance from the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).

This decision was taken at a meeting held on Tuesday between the district administration and the company officials. The meeting was chaired by Gyanaranjan Dash, the Jagatsinghpur district collector.

Saroja Kumar Mohapatra, general manager (human resources), Posco India; S K Singh, the company's project manager for Kujang; Surjeet Dash, the district rehabilitation officer; Nrusingh Swain, special land acquisition officer and other officials were present at the meeting.

The supporters of Posco project have pledged their support to the district administration in expediting land acquisition process for the company even as Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the organization spearheading the anti-Posco movement in the state, has intensified its stir against the project.

It may be noted that the RPDAC meet to finalize the package for the Posco project which was originally scheduled to be held on November 16 last year as per the directive of the Orissa government had to be deferred.

The Posco project needed 4004 acres of land out of which 3586 acres were forest land. Of the 3586 acres of government land, 2953 acres constituted forest land.

Official sources said nearly 50 per cent of this forest land was encroached by the locals of Dhinkia and Gobindpur villages. These villagers have planted betel vine, cashew and other crops on the encroached land.

As per the conditions set by MoEF, Posco is required to take up compensatory afforestation programme. A four-member committee would oversee the activities of the company in this connection.

In a bid to enable the company to undertake compensatory afforestation, the state government has identified 1253.22 hectares (3096.66 acres) of land in Kujang and Balikuda areas of Jagatsinghpur district, Tangi-Chudwar area of Cuttack district and Darpani in Jajpur district. Meanwhile, Posco has also geared up to undertake more CSR (corporate social activities) at the proposed site of the project. The company could not muster courage to go ahead with its CSR activities due to stiff protests from the anti-Posco activists.