ANGUL: The proposed Rs 5,500-crore industrial park of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) at Parang near here is facing strong opposition from different local organisations in the district. They have threatened to take to the streets if the State Government did not scrap the MoU immediately.The Government had recently inked MoU with the JSPL to set up a downstream industrial park in Angul over an area of 1,400 acres. The area would have ancillary units to meet the requirement of the 12-million tonne annual capacity steel plant and coal-to-liquid (CTL) plant of the company, among other things.According to the MoU, the company will invest Rs 500 crore while the entrepreneurs will invest Rs 5,000 crore. Water requirement will be met from the Mahanadi, 30 km from the site.Many local organisations, however, alleged that the industrial park is a violation of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) directive. “The area is considered one of the worst polluted areas in the country and there is a ban by the CPCB on setting up any new industry in Angul-Talcher industrial belt,” said Rabindra Kumar Patnaik of Jan Jiban Surakhya Samiti.Pradeep Panda, president of the Jindal Praja Sangharsa Samiti, said the park instead of serving the locals, will only help the JSPL. When the JSPL industrial park at Raigarh is mired in legal tangles, why is the same being planned in Angul district? he questioned.District SUCI leader Manas Swain too had voiced similar opinion. He said his party would launch an agitation if the MoU with JSPL is not scrapped soon. “Around 20,000 acres of land, including dense forests, has been grabbed by industrial houses to set up their units in Angul district. The district does not have any more land to house more industries,” he said. However, JSPL executive director Rajesh Jha said the park would have ancillary units, creating employment to about 30,000 people directly and indirectly. “As far as pollution is concerned, the company will take all necessary steps to avert any pollution threat,” he added.
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