FAC recommends scrapping of forest clearance for Posco

In yet another setback to the Rs 54,000-crore Posco project, India's biggest FDI, the Forest Advisory Committee, a panel under the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has recommended scrapping of forest clearance given to the project.

The FAC has claimed that it has found ample evidence of the violations of Forest Rights Act (FRA) at the Posco project site. The statutory body has made the recommendation for withdrawal of forest clearance in its assessment report submitted to the MoEF.

The MoEF is likely to take a decision on the Posco project next Monday.

The FAC's recommendation follows similar demands made by the Saxena committee as well as three members of the Meena Gupta panel. Both the panels were constituted to look into different issues pertaining to the mega steel project.

The report submitted by the three other members of the Meena Gupta panel- Urmila Pingle, Devendra Pandey and V Suresh had called for immediate revocation of the environmental clearance granted for the steel plant and the captive port project even as the panel leader Meena Gupta in a separate report opined for allowing Posco to go ahead with the project subject to completion of a comprehensive environment impact assessment (EIA) and imposition of certain conditions.

These three members felt that there have been serious lapses and illegalities in the EIA process. They held that the EIA prepared for the Posco project was a rapid EIA, based on one season data without taking into account all the components of the project like township project, water project, rail road and transport facilities.

They had stated that there was documentary as well as oral evidence to support the presence of Other Traditional Forest Dwellers at the Posco project site. They also alleged that the Jagatsinghpur district administration has not been fair and democratic in implementing the FRA in the project affected villages.

They held that there has been lack of adequate publicity, awareness campaign, training as required to the people and the Palli Sabha specially, in the project affected villages, about various provisions of the FRA and the process which forms the first link of the FRA implementation.