Orissa awaits environment panel report on Posco project

The Orissa government today said that it is eagerly waiting for the submission of report by an Environment Ministry set-up committee, looking into the forest and environmental issues of Rs 54,000 crore Posco project, on October 18.

"We are waiting the report of the Meena Gupta Committee," Chief Secretary B K Patnaik, who met a delegation of Posco-India here told reporters.

Stating that the government had stopped all activities at the Posco-India's plant site in the state on the direction of the environment ministry, Patnaik said.

He added that there had been no progress in the country's biggest foreign direct investment project since it received the stop work order from the Centre on August 4.

Though the state government signed a MoU with the South Korean steel major on June 22, 2005, the project could not take off due to stiff opposition from local people.

The state claimed that about 1,000 acre of land at the plant site was acquired by convincing people, though a section of villagers are still opposed to the project.