PPSS selects team for talks on Posco

Survey work peaceful in seven villages

Raising hopes for an amicable solution to the protracted problem surrounding the Posco’s 12 million tonne steel project near Paradip in Orissa, the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the organisation spearheading the agitation against the project for last four years, has finally agreed to hold discussion with the administration to sort out all contentious issues.

PPSS, meanwhile, has given the names of five representatives who will start negotiations with the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), Central Range. The talks are expected to take place in the next couple of days.

The five representatives of PPSS have been chosen from three panchayats- Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang, which constitute the site of this mega project in Jagatsinghpur district.

They include Sisir Mohapatra, sarpanch Dhinkia, Prakash Jena panchayat samiti member of Dhinkia, Basudev Behera, panchayat samiti member of Gadkujang, Basudev Khandual, village leader of Nuagaon and CPI leader, Abani Baral.

PPSS president, Abhaya Sahoo does not figure in the list as he is not a native of any of these three panchayats.Earlier chief minister Naveen Patnaik had convened a meeting with the local MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai and MLAs and had asked Tarai to persuade the anti-Posco activists to hold talks with the RDC.

It was decided to select a team consisting of five members from PPSS to start discussions with the RDC to resolve the Posco issue.

The RDC and the district administration would negotiate with the PPSS in the presence of Tarai. If the negotiations fail to yield any breakthrough, the matter will be placed before the Chief Minister.