Environmentalist Ashish Kothari was a member of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (constituted by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and Ministry of Tribal Affairs) to review the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA). The committee, headed by Dr N C Saxena submitted its report recently to the Central government. During the course of its work the committee visited Odisha to assess the performance of the FRA there, particularly in the...

-The Business Standard   After a smooth beginning to the POSCO land acquisition work on Wednesday, the Jagatsinghpur district administration today faced a roadblock in the process as many villagers did not turn up for identification of betel vines following the arrest of 32 activists of United Action Committee, a pro-POSCO outfit. UAC had boycotted the land acquisition work as it was aggrieved over the non-fulfillment of its demands. On the wee hours...

Around 20 people were arrested on Thursday for allegedly trying to obstruct the process of land acquisition for the Rs 52,000 crore POSCO steel plant near Paradip. Activists of United Action Committee (UAC), who earlier backed the mega project, were taken into custody as they blocked the entry route to Gada Kujanga opposing land acquisition work, resumed after nine months on Wednesday, police said. "About 20 people were arrested after effort to persuade...

Amidst protest from anti-POSCO activists, Orissa government on Wednesday resumed land acquisition work for Korean steel major’s proposed $12,000 (Rs 54,000 crore) steel plant near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district, following union ministry for environment and forest’s final forest clearance to the project on May 2. Jagatsinghpur collector NC Jena said the teams comprising officials from the revenue department and Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IIDO) were involved in the land acquisition process....

-PTI   Orissa government's move to resume land acquisition for POSCO steel plant from Wednesday faced trouble today with villagers supporting the project announcing non-cooperation and opponents demanding relocation of the proposed plant site from the fertile land. "Though we want establishment of POSCO steel plant here, we will not cooperate with the administration''s efforts of land acquisition process unless our demands are fulfilled," United Action Committee (UAC) president Anadi Charan Rout...