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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Central team visits proposed POSCO site in Orissa, verified forest Rights Act violation complaints

Central team visits proposed POSCO site in Orissa, verified forest Rights Act violation complaints

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published Published on Jul 26, 2010   modified Modified on Jul 26, 2010


The three members central team, constituted by ministry of forest and environment and ministry of Tribal affairs visited proposed POSCO site villages and held public consultation to enquire about the implementation of ‘ The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers and Forest Rights Act-2006 and Rules 2007’

The central team led by Ashish Kothari, a member of a Pune based NGO Kalparvriksh, Dr Ravi Chellam from wild life conservation society of India, Bangalore and Arup Jyoti Saikia from IIT Guwahati landed in three Gram Panchayats as Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gada Kujanga on Saturday morning and started public consultations in their Panchayat offices and sources added the team visited several forest surrounding villages earmarked for land acquisitions for the proposed Rs 52,000 crore POSCO project and met few villagers mainly the project opponents to examine the veracity of the civil administration’s claims over settlement of forest land.

The 4,004 Acres required for the POSCO’s 12 million tonne steel plant comprises 3,566 Acres of government land and 437 acres are owned by private people interestingly about 2,958 acres have been identified as forest land.

The central team’s arrival assumes significance in view of the alleged discrepancies purportedly allowed by the state government during the settlement of forest land in favour of the South Korean steel major.

Basing on the state government report clarified that there is no tribal in the proposed project area either cultivating or residing on forest land, no other traditional forest dweller in possession of land since three generations and nobody filed any claim over the forest land under the Forest rights Act, so the central government had on part given forest clearance to the project subject to the state government satisfying all the procedure and rules under forest Act had been followed.

Moreover state government in December 2009 submitted a report to the union forest and environment and tribal affairs ministries stating there were no tribal and no traditional forest dwellers on the land.

Project opponents and several organizations after knowing the environment clearance obtained POSCO had expressed displeasure and vowed against the state government and latter apprised central government claiming Odisha government had not properly implemented the forest Rights Act and few people are living in the forest land since decades have been ignored filing complaints and claiming for the land.

Taking these complaints central Government sent a team this to examine the ground realties and veracity of the locals complaint as consequence the central team reached on Saturday, first stepped in trouble torn Dhinkia village where the anti project group members led by its leader Abhya Sahoo and Panchayat Sarpanch Sisir Mohapatra greeted the visiting dignitaries and the team members held consultations with villagers about he alleged forest rights Act violation complaints. Then the team inspected few forest areas as Patana, Nolia Sahi, Nuagaon, Gadakujanga and interacted with local villagers and Panchayat representatives and collected views.

According to the central team leader Ashish Kothari said , we gathered details information during our trip and spot visit to POSCO site villages but found no tribal living in the areas but the local residents occupay most of forest land so we will submit a detailed report to union government and other two members did not comment any views about their visit and collection of information’s.

on the flip side pro project group United Action Committe expressed displasure during the central team visit as because the team members ignored to know the project supporters views even they spent most of times in Dhinkia village accompanied by anti project brigade, rued Tamil Pradhan an UAC member from Nuagaon.

Official sources said during the central team visit , the members held meeting with administration officials on Friday evening and district collector N C Jena apprised them there are no tribal in the POSCO affected three Panchayat’s so the forest Rights Act is not applicable in these Panchayat’s moreover there were only 49 tribal people living in the district had applied benefits under forest Rights Act and we disposed off 47 tribal cases by giving land and rejected two cases only after identified they were not tribal.


Orissa Diary, 24 July, 2010, http://www.orissadiary.com/ShowBussinessNews.asp?id=20072
 

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