Fresh Posco MoU soon: Steel minister

BHUBANESWAR: Anti-Posco activists renewed their attack on the Posco project on Tuesday, a day after South Korean ambassador to India Joon-gyu Lee met chief minister Naveen Patnaik and announced that work on the mega steel plant would start shortly.
Steel and mines minister Rajani Kant Singh also announced on Tuesday that the MoU for the project would be renewed within a few weeks.Answering a media query, Singh said, "The MoU is likely to be renewed by October-end or the first week of November."
The anti-Posco organizations, however, are confident of stalling the project. CPM state secretary Janaradan Pati said, "There are several issues such as port, mines and water that are yetl to be resolved. The government may have acquired 2,700 acre, but local villagers and anti-Posco organizations are still against the project."
CPI national council member Ramkrushna Panda supplemented Pati's words. "It appears to be another poll gimmick by the ruling party and the Posco authorities are a party to this farce."
BJP state president K V Singhdeo said, "None of the controversial issues pertaining to the 12 MPTA project have been sorted out so far. In such a scenario, the recent announcement seems to be a chicken and egg story."