KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, May 15: Tension prevailed in the area chosen for POSCO-India's steel plant project in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa on Thursday following a clash between the villagers supporting and opposing the industrial venture.

One person was seriously injured when both sides clashed near Gobindpur village at around 10-30 pm on Wednesday night.

The clash followed alleged hurling of crude bombs by a small group of project supporters on the anti-project activists who were busy in a meeting in the village.

The injured, identified as Natabar Khatua, has been admitted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack .

Khatua reportedly belonged to the faction supporting the steel project.

A large number of policemen have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order, police said.

It may be recalled that several persons were injured when activists of POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti were attacked in the area on November 29 last year.

Implementation of the mega steel project has been delayed due to stiff opposition from the locals who were in no mood to give their land for the setting up of the steel plant.

On the other hand, the State government has so far no been able to hold talks with the activists of the Sangram Samiti, the organisation that has been opposing the project since long.

The memorandum of understanding for the establishment of the proposed 12 million tonne per annum capacity steel project was signed between POSCO and Orissa government on June 22, 2005.

But almost three years after the MoU was inked, the State government has not been able to hand over any land to the company for the steel plant.