The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the organisation spearheading agitation against Posco’s 12-million tonne steel plant in Orissa, has upped the ante after Union environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh gave green signal to the project.
Two days after the Centre’s decision, the anti-Posco body has re-erected eight barricades at different places of Dhinkia panchayat in Jagatsinghpur district, for restricting the entry of government officials, Posco authorities and police personnel into the project site.
Hundreds of anti-Posco activists, including women and children, today gathered near these barricades and vowed not to allow even a single official to the site to expedite project work. They threatened to continue the restriction unless the Posco project is withdrawn from the area.
Sources said the protestors will continue patrolling the barricades and gates from today with sticks, sickles and other arms. “We will not give an inch of land for setting up the steel plant by the South Korean company. We don’t know what the future has in store for us, but we are ready to face all consequences,” the protestors said.
PPSS has sealed all routes to Dhinkia in the proposed Posco site, while leaving out Nuagaon and Gadkujang panchayats, also affected by the project. PPSS activists said they had drawn up plans to intensify their stir.
PPSS had blocked the entry of government officials and company authorities for five years after the signing of the memorandum of understanding with Posco India in June 2005, by erecting barricades. The barricades were lifted on July 23 last year during the visit of the Central team to examine violations of the Forest Rights Act.
PPSS President Abhaya Sahoo said, “We will re-erect the barricades at different places of Nuagaon panchayat and Noliasahi village under Gadkujang panchayat with the help of PPSS activists.”