Rival POSCO groups comes into spar again; one dead

Tension irrupts in three gram panchayats in the Jagatsinghpur district of Orissa following the death of an anti-POSCO activist in a clash between pro and anti POSCO steel project group. Late on Friday night villagers went to a spar which sent three people to the hospital with critical injury and one of them died in the hospital.

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Dula Mandal, a supporter of the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti opposing the proposed Posco steel project died in the Cuttack SCB Medical college hospital on Saturday morning.

The steel plant by South Korean Major POSCO has brought large scale violence in the recent past and in a same fashion, the supporters and critics of the project at the Govindpur village note another mishappening in the list.

Reportedly, anti-POSCO campaigners were attacked by the project supporter. Anti-POSCO activists alleged that the attack was planned by the company who has hired local goons to plant bombs and create disturbances by threatening them.

Meanwhile as per sources, the POSCO Pratirodha Sangrama Samiti which has been in the forefront of the opposition is planning to start a series of protest rally.

The Orissa government in the year 2005 had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the South Korean company for the proposed Rs 51,000-crore steel project. But due to strong opposition and non-availability of required land, the US$12 billion plant is yet to be materialized.

Those who are in opposition to the project say that if it comes into operation would displace over 20,000 people in as many as 15 villages, however, the supporters claim the steel plant would offer a number of job opportunities bringing prosperity to the region.