Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Tide hits Posco site after forest fall by Manoj Kar

Tide hits Posco site after forest fall by Manoj Kar

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Aug 7, 2011   modified Modified on Aug 7, 2011

Paradip, Aug. 6: Reports of a tidal surge into the denuded forest pockets in the proposed Posco project area since Thursday night have caused concern among the local residents.

However, officials have advised the villagers not to panic. “We have received reports of tidal waves’ ingress in some pockets of denuded forest areas. But there was no threat to the villages,” said Kujang tehsildar Vasudev Pradhan.

“The forest used to check the tidal surge from the Jaradhari river mouth. As forest was denuded, tidal waves went untamed and strode into the denuded forest area. Though the village was not affected this time, things might become difficult in the coming days,” said Gadakujang panchayat samiti member Vasudev Behera, adding the inundated forest areas lie about 250 feet from Noliasahi village, home to about 1,500 people.

“We have never seen tidal water entering into the forest areas earlier. The trees protected us from calamities such as storms and tidal waves. But with the forest gone, we have become vulnerable,” said Rasananda Rout, 70, of Noliasahi village.

“The state government has made a grave error in judgment by pulling down the forest. The government should have taken up afforestation along with the forest clearance,” said Nirvaya Samantaray, general secretary of United Action Committee (UAC), a pro-plant outfit.

Officials said compensatory afforestation would be taken up along the 3,000 acre-stretch on the periphery of the Posco steel project. Besides, it has been made obligatory for the steel company to cover an equal area under regeneration of degraded forest programme along the Mahanadi deltaic region.

The deadlock in project-related work continued today as officials skipped the land acquisition and project work.

For the past four days, villagers, demanding a revision of compensation and rehabilitation package, have stalled the process again. The protesters have even rejected the officials’ offer for a talk.

Discussion with some villagers yesterday failed to yield tangible results even though officials were hopeful that process would resume either on Monday or Tuesday with the people’s consent.

Incidentally, the protesters are not entirely opposed to the steel project. Rather, these land losers, mostly from Gadakujang and Nuagaon gram panchayats, are seeking a revised compensation package for the permanent loss of their livelihood stakes due to the setting up the proposed steel plant.

“The project-related work, including the forest clearance exercise, was suspended today keeping in view the protest from the people. The administration has already expressed its commitment to consider the six-point demands on compensation and rehabilitation issues at the Rehabilitation and Peripheral Development Advisory Committee (RPDAC) meeting scheduled on August 24,” said additional district magistrate Saroj Kanta Choudury.

“We had invited various groups to Erasama block office on Friday evenings for discussion. The talk was fruitful though people are yet to give consent to resume work. We are hopeful that people would budge from their stand and extend cooperation for resumption of project-related work at an early date,” said block development officer Muralidhar Swain. The United Action Committee (UAC), a pro-plant outfit, has now turned anti-administration over the non-revision of compensation. It turned down the administration’s proposal for a talk.

“All the talks and discussions have been reduced to meaningless exercises. Unless the compensation and rehabilitation demands are met, people are left with no choice but to resist the project-related work,” said Dhirendra Pallei, UAC’s working president.

The Telegraph, 7 August, 2011, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110807/jsp/orissa/story_14345894.jsp


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close