CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan on Friday dubbed chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s Thursday talks with the local legislators of Jagatsinghpur district as “disappointing” and claimed that it would not lead to any “tangible solution.”
“Thursday’s talks have opened the widow only not the door. The chief minister said during the discussion that the revenue divisional commissioner (central division) will hold discussions with the representatives of the anti-Posco activists. I don’t think an RDC is competent enough to take a decision in just given three months for a controversial issue that has been dragging since 2005,” he said.
The Rs 52,000-crore — which is proposed to come at Kujang near Paradip in Jagatisighpur district — has failed to take off because local resistance on the ground that it would create largescale displacement.
Questioning the state government’s prudence in suggesting the Posco to drop 300 acres of private land that comes under Dhinkia village — a part of the project site, Mr Bardhan said, “When the land has not been taken into possession by the company and local people continue to be its owners, what makes the chief minister to give such an absurd proposal?” Stating that an report submitted by ex-RDC S.K. Mohapatra had mentioned in details about the possible consequences of the Posco project, the leader said the government must make that report public.