Posco prepatory work this month

Notwithstanding the setbacks in the form of abduction of its employees, the South Korean steel major POSCO is firm on starting ground preparatory work for its 12 million tonne, Rs 51,000 crore steel project from the current month as scheduled.

Four senior executives of the company were taken hostage and later released after six hours of ordeal by the anti-POSCO brigade at Dhinkia near Paradip, close to the proposed plant site on Saturday.

This is the second major incident of abduction of POSCO staff, while on a site visit, by the project opponents in last four months. In the earlier incident in May, two POSCO India executives were abducted and then released after 10 hours of captivity.

"This sort of illegal detention of our employees by the project detractors is directed at creating cheap publicity and instilling fear in the top management not to go ahead with the project. But they will not succeed in their attempt", said a top official of the company.

The company has already been handed over 193 acres of non-forest, non-encroached land and it expects to get another 300 acres land within this week.

The total land requirement for the project is pegged at 4004 acres, including over 3100 acres of forest land, which is now under the process of being decategorized to be used for industrial purposes.

The project site is spread over three grampanchayats, of which Dhinkia is said to be most recalcitrant in opposition to POSCO while the company claims to have significant support base in Nuagaon and Gada Kujanga panchayats.

"The land handed over to us falls under Gada Kujanga side which will be easier for us to start work", the POSCO official said.

He said, to start with, the company will initiate steps for land preparatory work this week which includes demarcation, setting up of base camp, land levelling and construction of boundary wall.

The company, however, is peeved over inaction of the state administration in maintaining law and order in the project site area.

"The police is yet to take any action against the people who detained our employees illegally", said the POSCO India official, adding, "on the other hand, the local police has issued letter asking us not to enter the site without prior intimation to them".