Close on the heels of the report submitted by the four-member National Forest Right Act Committee, jointly set up by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, on the violation of Forest Rights Act (FRA) at the Posco site, the MoEF has asked the Orissa government to stop all work, including land acquisition for the project.
The MoEF in a letter to the Principal Secretary (Forests), Orissa government, has also asked the state government to furnish a report on the work already executed for the Posco project, including handing over of forest and non-forest land to the company.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in his response, said, “We have received the letter from MoEF. The issue is being examined and an appropriate action will be taken regarding the Posco project”
The MoEF missive is based on the recommendations of the National Forest Right Act Committee headed by N C Saxena, member of National Advisory Council.
The panel, which recently visited the Posco site to check the alleged violations of Forest Rights Act (FRA), has urged the ministry to withdraw the forest clearance given to the company in December 2009.
It also suggested the MoEF to ask the Orissa government to stop all work pertaining to the project till the required processes under FRA are completed and the consent of the concerned palli sabhas is obtained.
The administration, shaking off its rather long “wait and watch” stance, had recently initiated steps for land acquisition, first by finalizing the compensation package for the project affected persons and then identifying and demolishing the betel vines operating on the government land.
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In the last two weeks, it has demolished 96 betel vines, distributed Rs 1.25 crore compensation to the beneficiaries and cleared about 10 acres of government land of encroachment. Hence, stopping the on going process at the project site is expected to cause further delay in the implementation of the project. In a letter to the Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh, the panel chairman, N C Saxena has stated that there are Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFD) at the project site contrary to the claims made by the district administration. The presence of OTFDs is backed by documentary and oral evidence which include records of the old Bardhaman estate, rent receipts of families from the early 20th century and forest settlement records. The letter also says that the FRA process has not been completed and it is therefore incorrect for the district administration to conclude that there are no OTFDs in the area without going through the process of claims.
The panel is of the view that land acquisition and demolition of betel vines being carried out by the district administration at the project site is a violation of FRA.
The panel has pulled up the district administration for not making pro-active moves for the identification of potential claimants and provide them documents that could help determine their eligibility as OTFDs.
The team's findings were reported to the district administration on July 24 and to the state Chief Secretary along with secretaries of all relevant departments on July 27.
Naveen writes to PM
Peeved by the missive from MoEF to halt work on Posco Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik today wrote a letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh pleading that it would not be “proper” to stop work on this multi-billion dollar project on the basis of the findings of a panel with NGO activists as members. Patnaik pointed out that the government had sent the proposal on diversion of forest land for the Posco project to the MoEF in June, 2007 which was thoroughly scrutinized by the advisory committee of the ministry. The forest diversion plan was endorsed by the Supreme Court in August, 2008.