Anti-Posco activists oppose socio-economic survey

The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), which is spearheading the anti-Posco movement at the proposed site of Posco's mega steel project in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district, Saturday opposed the socio-economic survey in the affected villages.

Hyderabad-based Centre for Management and Social Research (CMSR) has been assigned the job of conducting the socio-economic survey in respect of rehabilitation of families displaced by procurement of land for the project in the villages near Paradeep.

"Our villagers are determined not to allow any survey team in our area. We do not understand why the government is making socio-economic survey in spite of our repeated "no" for establishment of any project in the Gram Sabhas," said PPSS spokesperson Prasant Paikray in a press release.

The socio-economic survey would be conducted in eight villages namely Dhinkia, Nuagaon, Gobindpur, Jatadhar, Polanga, Bhuyanpal, Noliashai and Bayanala Kandha under Ersama teshil in Jagatsinghpur district.

He said that the PPSS is committed to oppose unjust, undemocratic and unethical state interventions serving the interest of private and multinational companies.

The PPSS alleged that the police are filing fabricated criminal charges against its people to suppress the agitation against the project.

Paikray also condemned the Odisha government's recommendation for Prospecting License (PL) in favour of Posco India to excavate minerals from Khandadhar mines in Sundargarh district.

"We strongly condemn the clandestine way in which the state government is planning to hand over Khandadhar iron ore mines to Posco at a time when nothing is clear about the mining project and when thousands of tribals are protesting against handing over of their precious natural resources for mining," said the PPSS spokesperson.

Paudi Bhuyan tribals who live in Khandadhar hills are protesting the mining activities under the banner of Khandadhar Suraksha Sangram Samiti.

Indo-Asian News Service

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