UAC activists oppose tree evaluation at Posco site

In yet another setback to the Rs 54,000-crore Posco project in Orissa, the process of enumeration of trees on forest land has failed to take off ironically, due to the stiff resistance of the activists of United Action Committee (UAC), considered to be a pro-Posco outfit.

Following the grant of forest clearance for the Posco project by the Union ministry of environment of environment and forests (MoEF), the Orissa government had directed the forest department officials to start enumeration of trees at the proposed Posco site near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district.Sources said, six forest officials led by Kujang forest ranger, Saubhagya Sahoo, who had gone to Noliasahi village to kick off the process of enumeration of trees on forest land, were stopped by hundreds of UAC activists led by its secretary, Nirvaya Samantray.

These activists prevented the entry of the forest officials to the village and warned of dire consequences if the latter persisted. However, the divisional forest officer of Rajnagar Prasanna Behera denied any case of protest by the UAC activists.

“The enumeration work could not start on Friday due to shortage of labourers. The forest officials would start the work for assessment of valuation of trees within two to three days”, he said. The Posco project needs 4004 acres of land out of which 3,586 acres are state land and within this patch, 2953 acres constitutes forest land.

The UAC activists are determined to oppose the Posco project unless their 29-point charter of demands pertaining to compensation, rehabilitation and employment are fulfilled. Posco has finalized the compensation package without the consent of the affected villagers, thereby causing strong resentment among them, said Samantray.