Posco should not be set up on proposed site:Left party leaders
Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, Dec. 2: Instead of recreating a situation akin to Nandigram, the chief minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, should follow the example of his West Bengal counterpart and declare, that in view of the opposition by the locals, the Posco steel plant would not be set up at the disputed site.
The irony is that observations to this effect were made by the Left party leaders–CPI, FB, SUCI, CPI (ML) and the CPM. A team of Left party leaders visited the troubled Dhinkia area of Jagatsinghpur district yesterday, to support the anti-Posco movement spearheaded by the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti.
They warned the government of serious consequences, if it tries to force its way and crush the people’s movement by deploying hired goons and the police. Addressing a press conference here today, the Left party leaders condemned the recent spate of violence at Balitutha and the use of force. The chief minister declared that he wants peaceful industrialisation and that his government will not resort to force, but since 22 November, a heinous design of deploying hired goons has taken place.
In the garb of pro-Posco activists, these goons have assaulted people, hurled bombs and set fire to tents pitched by the PPSS at Balitutha, alleged the Left leaders.
BHUBANESWAR, Dec. 2: Instead of recreating a situation akin to Nandigram, the chief minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, should follow the example of his West Bengal counterpart and declare, that in view of the opposition by the locals, the Posco steel plant would not be set up at the disputed site.
The irony is that observations to this effect were made by the Left party leaders–CPI, FB, SUCI, CPI (ML) and the CPM. A team of Left party leaders visited the troubled Dhinkia area of Jagatsinghpur district yesterday, to support the anti-Posco movement spearheaded by the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti.
They warned the government of serious consequences, if it tries to force its way and crush the people’s movement by deploying hired goons and the police. Addressing a press conference here today, the Left party leaders condemned the recent spate of violence at Balitutha and the use of force. The chief minister declared that he wants peaceful industrialisation and that his government will not resort to force, but since 22 November, a heinous design of deploying hired goons has taken place.
In the garb of pro-Posco activists, these goons have assaulted people, hurled bombs and set fire to tents pitched by the PPSS at Balitutha, alleged the Left leaders.
The game plan is to stop peaceful demonstration on Balitutha bridge with the help of goons and then deploy police all over the place. They pointed out that for over 64 days, the PPSS had been staging a blockade on the bridge without indulging in violence of any kind, but they had been attacked.
Now the administration has virtually surrounded Dhinkia village. We were also initially refused entry to the area by the local police yesterday, said Mr Dibakar Nayak, state head of the CPI. Mr Santosh Mitra of FB, Mr Kitish Biswal of CPI, Mr Subash Singh of CPM, Mr Narayan Reddy, CPI MLA, and other SUCI leaders also voiced the same views.
The united Left demanded a probe into human rights violation which had taken place in the area and also into the more than Rs 100 crore already spent by Posco.
Who has benefited from the money?, has it been given to create a private army of goons? or did it go to the pockets of certain local ruling party leaders? were some of the questions asked by these leaders.
They pointed out that the chief minister had committed that project work would start on 1 April, 2008.
He is trying to meet the deadline by using age-old British tactics of dividing the locals, making them fight against each other.
It is a well established fact for over the past two years, that the locals are opposed to the project.
They refuse to part with rich agriculture lands. For two years, the villagers have refused to allow Posco and the government officials to enter the area. So the government should declare that the project would not be set up at the proposed site, they Left front leaders said.
However, reports from the troubled zone, said that after the Left party leaders visited Dhinkia yesterday, the pro-POSCO factions had started holding counter meetings at Nuagaon, Gadakujang and Govindapur villages.
The police have deployed two platoons at Trilochanpur and has virtually surrounded Dhinkia, which happens to be the stronghold of PPSS. They have also erected a barricade at an entry point to Dhinikia to beef up security.
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