Refuting the contention of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Orissa that the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) is adopting different yardsticks for clearing Polavaram and Posco projects, the Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh today said that the matter relating to the Posco project is now under the purview of the state government.
"I have sought clarification from the Orissa government on certain matters relating to the Posco project. The ball is now in the state government's court”, said Ramesh who is on a two-day visit to the state.
The minister also ruled out the possibility of visiting the Posco project site where the project opponents are staging a dharana, demanding cancellation of environmental clearance for the project.
"My tour to Orissa is only meant for visiting Bhitarkanika and reviewing the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project (ICZMP)”, Ramesh said. Besides reviewing the ICZMP, he released the 'Shoreline Change Assessment Atlas of Orissa and Report of Shoreline Change'.
Reacting to the Union minister's statement, the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “I'll be meeting the Union environment and forest minster Jairam Ramesh tomorrow evening. We will have discussions on various issues concerning the state. The state government is following up the Posco project and we are doing whatever is appropriate and correct. The Posco project is the biggest FDI in the country. The project will bring a great deal of revenue not just for Orissa but for the whole country and will certainly create a lot of jobs, both direct and indirect”.
B K Patnaik, the state Chief Secretary said, “We have sought the report on the Posco project from the Jagatsinghpur district administration. Whatever the state government is doing in connection with the Posco project is in accordance with the laws.”
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In its report submitted recently to the MoEF on compliance with Forest Rights Act (FRA)-2006 at the Posco site, the state government had categorically stated there were no tribals or other traditional forest dwellers (OTFDs) in the designated area. It also maintained that the palli sabhas held by Posco opponents were not valid as they were not convened by the gram sabha secretary and the proceedings were not recorded.
It may be noted that in a note posted on the site of MoEF earlier this month Ramesh had urged the state government to dispose off the resolutions adopted in the palli sabhas by an appropriate authority in accordance with the FRA-2006. He had warned that ignoring the palli sabha resolutions would tantamount to violating the very essence of FRA-2006 passed by the Parliament.
Earlier, in a e-mail to Ramesh, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), the organization spearheading the anti-Posco movement in the state, had claimed that there are OTFDs at the Posco site and there is sufficient evidence to prove this.
It had also stated that during the palli sabha conducted on February 21 and 23 at the Posco site, the locals had opposed the Forest Diversion Plan for the Posco steel project.
Subsequently, Ramesh had shot off a letter to Orissa Chief Minister, stating that the state government should look into the allegations of PPSS.
‘Posco captive port in erosion zone’
The captive port project planned by the South Korean steel behemoth Posco at Jatadhari Muhan in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district falls in the high erosion coastal zone of the state, said Union minister for environment and forest Jairam Ramesh.
Hence, while giving the environmental clearance to the project the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) has imposed certain strict conditions to be complied by the company and the state government, the minister told reporters at Gupti in Kendrapara district.
Ramesh reiterated the decision of his ministry not to allow any construction or development activity on high erosion zone along the country's coastline.
According to the shoreline atlas of Orissa released by Ramesh, eight per cent of Orissa's 480-km coastline comes under high-erosion zone, 11 per cent under medium-erosion zone and 18 per cent in the low-erosion zone. A stretch of 39.33 km in six districts of the state- Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Balasore, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara comes under the high-erosion zone.