Naveen flies to meet Korean Prez on Posco
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 26: Curtailing his Republic Day programmes in the state, the Orissa chief minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik, on Tuesday had to fly in a special flight to New Delhi to meet South Korean president, Mr Lee Myung-Bak, to discuss about the fate of the 12-million-tonne Posco project.
Both the leaders met at Rashtrapati Bhawan in the evening and discussed for nearly an-hour on how to expedite construction of the Rs 52,000-crore steel project.Considered to be the largest-ever foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country so far, the project has been in limbo because of protests by the local people.
After his meeting with Mr Bak, the chief minister told reporters he had assured Mr Bak all support from the state government to see through the project.
The South Korean President, – who was in the national capital to attend the Republic Day parade as chief guest – had sought an appointment with the chief minister.
The Prime Minister’s Office, which is keen on the successful implementation of the project, had reportedly called the Chief Minister to New Delhi to discuss the matter with Mr Bak. The PMO is directly supervising the project’s progress.
In fact, the South Korean President had expressed his desire to participate in a formal ribbon-cutting function at the project site near the port town of Paradip.
The South Korea President, however, could come here as the situation was not “conducive.”
Meanwhile, the anti-displacement activists led by the CPI-backed Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti on Tuesday began an indefinite dharna at Balituth, a part of the project site, protesting the Union and state governments’ decision to begin the construction activity at the site within three months.
The activists said they would not allow the project to happen since it would displace the local people and jeopardise their livelihood.
Posco India had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government on June 22, 2005 to set up a mega steel plant. But it has failed to make any headway in this regard due to stiff opposition from the local people.
AGE Correspondent
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