Paradip, July 16: Things were back on the boil today in Posco project area. Tension mounted in the zone as at least eight protesters, mostly women, were injured following an alleged use of force by police at Polang village. Officials engaged in land acquisition process for the steel plant project were forced to retreat with project-related work left grounded today amidst stiff resistance from landlosers. The land acquisition process and ancillary...

Over the last one year, villagers of Ghati in Gadchiroli have kept timber out of the forest department’s reach, saying it belongs to them under the provisions of the FRA, short for Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest-Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act. The FRA recognises their rights only on non-timber minor forest produce but the villagers have interpreted it to include all trees. They say minor forest produces like mahua,...

There is something for Posco finally to cheer about as work at its proposed site for Rs 52 ,000-crore steel project in Orissa's Jagatsinghpur district resumed on Tuesday after remaining stalled since June 26. "Work in Gadakujanga and Nuagaon areas is going on today," Jagatsinghpur district collector N C Jena said. Felling of trees and clearing of forest area and acquired betel-vine farms were continuing in Gadakujanga and Nuagaon areas,...

A senior forest official from the Centre is visiting Jharkhand tomorrow to review a state proposal to declare Dalma forests and its adjoining areas in the Singhbum region an eco-sensitive zone, a move that has been opposed by Tata Steel. In March, the state forest department had drafted an exhaustive plan to create a protective zone around 10km perimeter of the Dalma forests to protect the area that is a natural...

Protest against government attempts to suppress democratic resistance by villagers Police avoid confrontation; no work on construction of boundary wall As Orissa on Wednesday made failed attempts to acquire land for the Posco steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district, five political parties announced that they would begin an indefinite dharna opposing the Naveen Patnaik government's attempts to suppress democratic resistance by villagers who oppose establishment of the project in their locality. The dharna would...