Patkar: New mission

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 12: Medha Patkar has warned of a rerun of Kalinga Nagar if the Orissa government allows South Korean major Posco to build its 12-million-tonne steel plant in Jagatsinghpur.

Patkar, leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, today undertook a padyatra at the proposed site of the steel plant. Activists of the Nava Nirman Samiti, a local organisation, accompanied her.

The firebrand activist joined an ever-swelling list of sceptics who fear that the plant will lead to displacement and environmental damage. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch and the Left parties, among others, had earlier expressed their reservations about the project.

Addressing a gathering at Nuagaon, one of the villages on the displacement list of Posco, Patkar said the proposed steel plant will spell doom for the coastal region. ?It is doomed to be ravaged by the demon in the form of Posco,? she warned. ?Hum ladenge, chhodenge nahin (We will fight, we will not give up).?

While anti-Posco slogans filled the air, Patkar pledged to fight till the Korean steelmaker packed its bags and left. Hearing her, people came out of their homes, shouting: ?Amara pana, mina, dhana amathu kei chhadei paribe nahin (None can snatch our betel, fish and paddy).?

Patkar reciprocated the warm welcome by stopping at village corners to listen to the apprehension over the proposed displacement. At some places, elderly people broke down while embracing her.

After trekking through the dusty roads of Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadakujana, Patkar said the government ?had no right? to denude agriculture-rich villages. ?The tall talk on rehabilitation is never going to materialise,? she said, adding: ?I am told that people affected by the Paradip port, fertiliser plant and oil refinery were poorly compensated. As a result, the people now live in a state of panic with the fear that they would be dispossessed of their land by brute force.?

Patkar also visited the Jatadhari river mouth, the site for Posco?s port.

Questioning the pro-industry stand of the government, Patkar said Orissa?s interests were being sacrificed and the mineral-rich hinterland ?ravaged on a daily basis?. This will cause severe environmental damage, she observed.

Large contingents of armed police were deployed at several places in Kujang but the padyatra passed off without any hitches.

Yesterday, Patkar had visited Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district and offered her ?moral support? to the tribals blocking the Daitari-Paradip expressway since January 2. ?The tribals are the real owners of the land and they cannot be displaced,? she held.