Pro and anti-Posco groups to boycott RPDAC meeting

The meeting of the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC), convened by Jagatsinghpur district administration to discuss about compensation package of the Posco project affected persons has suffered a set back with both anti and pro-Posco outfits deciding to stay away from it.

Posco Pratirodha Sangram Samiti, the outfit agitating against the Posco project has decided to boycott the RPDAC meeting citing the indifference of chief minister towards owes of local villagers as the reason for its decision to stay away from the meeting. Besides, it said, as non-bailable warrants were pending against some of its leaders, their presence in the meeting would not be desirable.

Similarly, United Action Committee, a purportedly pro-Posco outfit, has decided to boycott the meeting to express its displeasure over the “half-hazard” socio-economic survey of the project site area in which neither the local people were consulted nor the real loss of property including the betel vines, prawn gheris and other immovable assets were reflected.The RPDAC meeting has been convened by the Jagatsinghpur district administration to discuss about the compensation package for the affected persons of the project and was expected to be attended by all stake holders including the local MP, MLAs and other elected peoples’ representatives, who either belonged to the PPSS or UAC camp.

PPSS conducted a meeting at Dhinkia today where Abhya Sahoo, president of the outfit, discussed with the villagers about the participation of local peoples’ representatives and village leaders in the RPDAC meeting. The villagers, however, suggested boycott of the meeting stating that chief minister Naveen Patnaik has not kept his commitment to visit the Posco project site area and see the plight of the villagers before finalization of the compensation package.

Meanwhile, the district administration has extended invitation to sarpanch, panchayat samiti members of three panchayats, Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadkujang and social activists Magu Nayak and Sailbala Barik of Dhinkia village to participate in the meeting.

PPSS leader, Sahoo said, when PPSS is demanding shifting of the Posco project out of the area, how our representatives can attend this meeting to finalize the compensation packages”.