POSCO opponents observe Black Day

Odisha Channel Bureau Jagatsinghpur, June 22: POSCO project area was stuck in protest cradle with opponents of the proposed eight million tonne per annum capacity steel project observing Black Day on Sunday.It’s pertinent to note here that on this day nine years ago – June 22, 2005 – Odisha Government had inked an MOU with the steelmaker.Though the MOU that was valid for five years expired four years ago, the anti-POSCO brigades continue to observe Black Day as a mark of symbolic protest.Wearing black badges, protesters staged a rally at Patana village in Dhinkia area of Jagatsinghpur district to oppose the mega steel project.“We are opposed to the setting up of the steel project in fertile agrarian belts of Jagatsinghpur.The corporate-friendly Odisha Government is out to mislead people by saying that Dhinkia would remain out of the project site.The people’s movement against the project would go on till the project is relocated from these areas to any other alternate site,” said Abhay Sahu, president of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti.Though land acquisition process for the mega steel project has been completed since July last, the project has failed to make much headway.The MOU has not been renewed while construction of project boundary has been suspended following people’s protest.Even those supporting the project are aggrieved a lot with rehabilitation and resettlement package offered to them.