MoEF expert team to visit Posco site today

A four-member expert team constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) is scheduled to visit the proposed Posco steel plant site near Paradip on Tuesday.

The team was formed by MoEF in line with the order of the National Green Tribunal which had suspended the environmental clearance of the project in March this year and wanted an expert team to visit the site to assess the impact of the project on the environment afresh.

“The team has intended to visit the Posco site and communicated us about this. Later on August 22, they will attend a meeting with the state forest department officials in Bhubaneswar,” said S P Mallick, collector of Jagatsinghpur district, where the plant will come up.

The high-level expert committee led by its chairman K.Ray Paul will study the impact of forest diversion and cutting of large number of trees for establishment of the Posco's steel plant on the coastal areas and local environment.

Paul will be accompanied by R.Ramesh, R.D.Singh and S.R.Wate during the tour. The team is likely to visit all project-affected villages such as Dhinkia, Gobindpur, Nuagaon, Gadakujang, Polang, and Noliasahi, informed district administration officials.

It may be noted, the green court had put on hold the January 2011 order of MOEF, saying that the ministry had given permission to the steel maker to go ahead with its 12 million tonne per annum (MTPA) plant, based on an environment impact assessment report which was produced on the basis of 4 MTPA capacity plant.

“The environment clearance granted on January 31, 2011 to the project shall remain suspended till such review and appraisal is done by the ministry,” the green court bench said in its verdict, while directing the MoEF to “assess it for the full capacity right from the beginning.” The green court order bars Posco to start any construction activity in the area.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has decided to resume the land acquisition process Posco’s project within 15 days, which was stalled indefinitely in June last year following protests by villagers and Left leaders.