KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, June 9: Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, the organisation opposing Posco-India's proposed steel plant project in Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa, has decided to observe a Black Week starting from June 22 to reiterate its protest.

It was on June 22 in 2005 that the memorandum of understanding was signed between South Korean steel producer Posco and Orissa government for the setting up of a 12 million tonne steel plant in Jagatsinghpur.

According to Abhay Sahu, president of the Sangram Samiti, on June 22 the villagers opposing the steel project would form human chains in the villages under the three gram panchayats of Dhinkia, Nuagaon and Gadakunjanga to oppose the move to establish the steel plant in their locality.

On June 23, the Sangram Samiti will organise a public meeting at Balitutha, the place from where hundreds of people supporting the project had chased away the anti-project activists in November last year. The meeting is likely to be attended by national level leaders of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) and Communist Party of India, Sahu said on Monday.

On the remaining five days, Sangram Samiti activists would hold public meeting in every village and hamlet under the three gram panchayats where people were likely to be affected by the project.

“We will continue our opposition to the venture till the government orders shifting of the project site from the three gram panchayats to any other place,” Sahu said.

Meanwhile, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samanwaya Samiti, a newly formed organisation, has also decided to a hold a convention on Posco project in Bhubaneswar on June 22.

While the Sangram Samiti is opposing displacement in three gram panchayats in Jagatsinghpur, the Samanwaya Samiti has decided to raise issues pertaining to the project site, grant of prospecting licence for iron ore mines and supply of water to Posco-India for implementation of the project.