Posco: Government to wait and watch

BHUBANESWAR: Even as political parties bicker over the fallout after the recent Posco clash which killed a person, all work relating to the project, including the coastal road, has been stalled due to the continuing tension in the area.The Posco project, which the Government wanted to expedite, has taken a backseat after the violence and its aftermath. The Government has announced that it will wait for the ground situation to normalise before resuming project activities.The Government has also stopped talking about renewal of memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Posco for establishment of the steel plant, the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) of the country. Several times, the State Government had announced that the MoU will be renewed by the end of the year.“We have sought report form the ground. The Government will review the situation before taking any decision on resumption of activities at Posco’s proposed plant site,” Chief Secretary BK Patnaik told reporters.The proposed coastal road, considered crucial for Posco’s mega steel project, was stalled after a clash between project opponents and the contractor group on December 14. One person was killed and about two dozen were injured.Police have arrested contractor Bapi Sarkel, anti-Posco leaders Narayan Reddy of the CPI and Congress’  Jayant Biswal. The issue kicked up a row in the Assembly during the winter session with BJD MLAs from the Jagatsinghpur district bickering among themselves over links with Sarkel.The arrest of Reddy, a former MLA, has sparked off protest from the Left parties. A massive rally is being planned in the state capital on December 30 demanding his release. Meanwhile, the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) leading the agitations has announced protests would continue till the project is scrapped.“They might have stopped work due to violence, but we will continue agitation till the Posco project is completely withdrawn,” said PPSS secretary Sisir Mohapatra adding they have decided to further to intensify anti-project agitation.