Final lap to assess Posco impact

MANOJ KAR

Paradip, Sept. 21: The four-member Meena Gupta committee visited the Jatadhari area to assess the possible environmental impact on the coastline in proximity to the proposed Greenfield Posco steel plant here today. This is the final leg of the groundwork by the committee before it submits its report to the central government. Posco is to build a captive port at Jatadhari. “We have come here again to assess the impact the project will have on the environment and coastal regulation zone (CRZ) rules. We made a field trip to Jatadhari river mouth where a captive port is proposed to be set up as part of Posco-India’s steel project near Paradip,” Gupta told mediapersons here today. “We also studied the coastal regulation zone angle connected to the port. The related records and maps have been examined. We held discussions with both the government and Paradip port officials. Our findings, including that of alleged violation the Forest Rights Act in Posco project areas, would be submitted to the central government by September 30,” he said. The central panel members earlier held discussions with officials of forest, environment and district authorities. During the one-hour meeting, the panel members made persistent queries on the high tide and the low tide zones along the shoreline. The panel noted down the points made by the officials with regard to the CRZ rules,” an official present in the discussion said. Later, the Gupta-led committee visited the proposed port site at Jatadhar muhan. The panel members spent about half-an-hour at the sea beach and assessed the rules. “We accompanied the central team. They examined all the issues pertaining to the impact on the environment and the assessment of the CRZ,” said Nrusingha Charan Swain, special land acquisition officer for the project, refusing to give any further details. The committee held a separate discussion with the Paradip Port Trust chairman, the officials said. The committee, during its visit to the site on August 27 and 28, interacted with the villagers who are likely to be affected by the proposed plant. The group had received petitions from the villagers who said that they had been living in the area for several years and the district administration had not followed the Forest Rights Act while acquiring the land. The committee tried to verify the implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Traditional Forest Dwellers (Regulation of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. A joint committee of forest and tribal welfare, headed by N.C. Saxena, had earlierfound that the Forest Rights Act was not adhered to at the Posco project area. The Centre stopped work at the site and constituted the panel to look into the allegations of rights violation at the site. A notification by the MoEF, empowered the panel to review matters pertaining to Environment Impact Assessment, Coastal regulation Zone and other clearances. (Sourced from Telegraph) photos-D.P.Pattanaik