Citing reasons behind the delay in land acquisition for

the project, the state government in the report said that due to law and order problem at the proposed project site and delay in obtaining approval of forest diversion from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), no tangible progress was made for implementing of the project during the last seven years. The state government also pointed out that "while according approval for forest diversion for 2,959 acre of forest land, MoEF did not appreciate the swapping clause of the existing MoU". Posco-India's MoU with the state government for the mega steel project in 2005 has meanwhile lapsed in 2010. "IPICOL has recommended for extension of the validity of the MoU for further period of six years," the status report said. On mineral concession issue, the state government maintained that the company had achieved the milestones for grant of mineral concession on October 19, 2006. "Prospecting License (PL) for iron ore over an area of 2500 hectare at Khandadhar in Sundergarh district was recommended to the Government of India," it said. However, the state government's recommendation was quashed by the Orissa High Court. The state government on its part has filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court on October 29, 2010. Geomin Minerals and Marketing Private Limited, which challenged the state government's recommendation in favour of Posco in the High Court, has also filed a SLP in the Supreme Court. The project authority (Posco India) has also filed another SLP in the Apex Court.