Uproar in assembly over violence at Posco site

The Opposition in the Orissa assembly on Thursday cornered the government over Wednesday's violent clash between the supporters and opponents of the Posco project at Paradip during construction of a coastal road intended to link the project site. One person was killed and about 25 were injured in the clash.

Blaming the government for the incident, the Opposition legislators criticised the ruling party for taking up forcible construction of the approach road without the consent of affected people.

Questioning the logic of Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation of Orissa (Idco) in assigning work to a private contractor, the Opposition MLAs said, the house needs to be informed on the circumstances which led to the clash between the pro and anti-Posco brigade.

The Congress MLAs raised the demand for an adjournment motion on the matter which was spurned by the speaker Pradeep Amat on grounds that the house had other important business to transact.

The speaker's refusal to admit the adjournment motion sparked resentment among the Congress legislators who rushed to the well and created pandemonium, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house repeatedly.

“How can some other matter be more important than yesterday's violence at Posco site”, Opposition chief whip Prasad Harichandan questioned, alleging there was no law and order at the Posco site.

He also alleged that violence at Posco site was state sponsored.

The Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh sought a clarification from the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on how the construction work on the coastal road was allowed when the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Posco India had already lapsed and was yet to be renewed.

The BJP MLAs joined their Congress in the demand for a special discussion in the house on Posco violence.

Leader of the BJP legislature party K V Singhdeo alleged the state government was taking up forcible construction of the approach road. The government does not have the mandate to undertake any project without the consent of the affected people, he said.Even members of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) including Damodar Rout, the party MLA from Paradip and his bete noire Bishnu Das raised grave concern over the tragic incident on the floor of the house.

While Das questioned as to how Idco assigned the work of the coastal road to a private contractor with dubious records, Rout maintained assigning the work to locals could have averted violence at the Posco site.

The state Chief Minister has admitted that the incident at Posco site was tragic.

"I have always said my government believes in peaceful industrialization. The matter will be looked into and action will be taken as per law”, he told media persons.

Meanwhile, in a bid to resolve the prevailing deadlock over the Posco violence, the speaker has called an all-party meeting on Thursday.

Wednesday's violence at the Posco site left one Dijwabar Swain (40) of Samagola village under Kujang police limit dead apart from injuring 25 others.