PPSS to intensify stir against Posco

The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the organization spearheading the anti-Posco movement in the state, has decided to intensify its stir against the Posco project after the company announced that it would start work on the plant early next year.

PPSS has decided to conduct a public meeting at Balitutha, the entry point to the Posco project site, under Erasama block in the state's Jagatsinghpur district on September 10.

The meeting would be attended by the Jana Andolan leaders from different areas like Kalinga Nagar in Orissa's Jajpur district, Raipur (Madhya Pradesh) as well as Singur and Nandigram in West Bengal. The CPI leaders from other parts of the country would also participate in this meeting to protest the Posco steel project.

The PPSS is expected to chalk out strategies for intensifying its stir against the Posco project at the meeting.

The stronghold of PPSS which includes the Posco affected villages of Dhinkia, Gobindpur, Patana, Nuagaon and Gadkujang was weakened after the arrest of Abhaya Sahu, secretary of PPSS in October last year.

However, the release of Sahoo 10 months has emboldened the PPSS activists.

“The anti-Posco activists have decided not to allow the district administration and Posco officials to enter the project affected villages, especially Dhinikia and Gobindpur”, Sahoo told Business Standard. “If any attempt is being made by the district administration and Posco to enter into their villages, the entry roads will be sealed”, he added.

He warned that the project will face stiff resistance from the affected villagers of three panchayats-Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang.

Meanwhile, both district administration and the ruling party leaders including legislators who have been taking initiatives to expedite the Posco project work in early next year have been embarrassed by the intervention of Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhuprasad Tarai. Tarai, a CPI leader who got elected to Lok Sabha in the last elections with support from ruling Biju Janata Dal, has decided to oppose the Posco steel project.

While local legislator cum agriculture Minister Damodar Rout has sought the cooperation of the locals to expedite the Posco project, Tarai's decision to protest the Posco steel project has created an obstacle.