Firdaus Jahan for BeyondHeadlines
New Delhi: 14 Groups under the banner of Delhi Solidarity Group protest today for Environmental clearance given to POSCO project in Odisha at Paryavaran Bhavan in violation of the Honorable National Green Tribunal’s decision and the Meena Gupta Committee findings. Their demands behind the protest was the cancellation of the clearance until recommendations of the NGT and Meena Gupta and a complete half on forceful land acquisition and destruction of foredt and beetel vines. As well as January 15 is observed as National Protest Day against POSCO. And the whole action was organized in solidarity with POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS).
The NGT had decided to stay at the earlier clearance given to the project while forest clearance question is not settled. Despite it, MoEF has cleared the project before the coming of the South Korean President, Ms. Park Geun Hye.
The National Green Tribunal suspended the project clearance by ministry on 30th March 2012, in Prafulla Samantra v/s Union of India matter, until a full review by a committee consisted of judicial and expert members of the committee. The tribunal reduced the total capacity of the project from 12 MTP to 4 MTP. But the project is given clearance again by ministry without following these conditions and an MoU of Project proponent i.e POSCO with the State of Odhisha, clearing that the MoU had lapsed in June 2010.
The Environmental Clearance and the Forest Clearancewas reported as illegal by the Meena Gupta Committee in 2010. And it also recommended for additional study and due compliance of all conditions. But, the Environment Ministry overlooked all the conditions, violations by the project proponent, specially the struggle against the project by the people for their right to life and livelihood for last seven years now.
The clearance should ensure of no mining, it’s already a proposed project having iron ore mining for 30 years (600 million tons) at captive mines in Keonjhar and Sundargarh in Odhisha which causing destruction of the beautiful Khandadhar mountain and disturbing the tribal culture of the area.
The demands of the Delhi Solidarity Groups was the Environmental and Forest clearance should be canceled until the recommendations of the NGT and Meena Gupta Committee are fulfilled, Forceful land acquisition and destruction of forest and beetel vines should be stopped and construction of boundary walls for the project should be stopped immediately, there is no MoU and any construction is completely illegal.
