PPSS fears ‘commando-type’ operation, sends SOS to civil societies for help

Sudhir Ranjan Dash / www.indusvalleytimes.com

Paradip:, June 24: Apprehending “commando-type” operation by Orissa police in the proposed steel plant site to evict the local people, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), an umbrella organisation of anti-displacement forums, on Friday said sent SOS message to civil societies for help.

“We are given to understand that a team led by the chief secretary Bijay Patnaik who has been personally supervising the execution of the 12-million-tonne Posco project has already met the chief minister to seek his approval for a commando type operation in Dhinkia the way the American forces did it in Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden,” a press statement released on behalf of PPSS leader Abhaya Sahu said.

Stating that the chief minister is known for his high reliance on bureaucracy, the PPSS statement says the chief secretary was given the assignment of “commando-type” operation in place of his friend and IDCO (Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation) chairman Priyabrata Patnaik who is now out of state.

“As you all know the CM Mr Patnaik believes too much in his bureaucracy. They have also given the police operation responsibility to deputy inspector general of police (DIG) D.S. Kute who ruthlessly oppressed the Kalinga Nagar movement against the Tatas,” the release said.

Quoting a statement by additional district magistrate S. Choudhury who in a television interview said the district administration was awaiting “sanction’ from higher authorities for “final” action, the PPSS said women and children who have formed a human barricade in the project area would definitely oppose any such “night invasion” by armed police.

“Our women and children would protest any such audacious night invasion and the protest will be in the same democratic and peaceful ways, which we have continued for the last six years,” the PPSS said.

It further said: “We shall be happy if good sense prevails upon the chief minister and he says no to such barbaric operation. But since the rulers have sold their conscience to corporations anything may happen. So please put pressure on the CM and please alert all people who could influence the state to take note of such a possibility. We request you to please do the needful to save Dhinkia. We are told their single target this time would be to arrest our leader Abhay Sahu and other leaders. We request all media friends, human rights organisation and pro-people political groups to please get in to action.”

Chief secretary Bijay Patnaik, while denying any such move, said, “The district administration always decides strategy in accordance with ground realities.”

Meanwhile, the CPI and CPI (ML) observed black day protesting forceful eviction of people in the Posco project area.

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Pandemonium in Orissa Assembly over Vedanta University land deal, missing of file

Ratikant Mohanty
Bhubaneswar, Dec. 6: Deadlock continues to prevail in Orissa Legislative Assembly. The Opposition Congress on Monday stalled the Assembly proceedings protesting the ruling BJD’s “reluctance” to take actions against the government officials who “connived” to acquire Jagannath temple land for the proposed Vedanta University and missing of file of S. N. Das Mohapatra Limited, a mining company.

The question hour business was conducted only for 16 minutes as the Speaker Pradeep Kumat Amat adjourned the House following pandemonium created by the Congress, the main opposition in the Assembly.

Speaking to reporters after adjournment of the House, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh said the state government was paying no heed to the Opposition’s demand to inform the House as to what actions had been taken following the HC direction to “punish” the culprits who violated forest and environment laws to favour Vedanta University.

“The Naveen Patnaik government seems to have no respect for the law of the land. It even does not care to obey the order of the judiciary. The Naveen Patnaik government is keen to protect the offenders as it has its own share in the offence,” Mr Singh said.

On November 16, The Orissa High Court had declared the land acquisition for the Vedanta University project at Puri as “illegal” and asked the company to return the acquired land to the concerned people, agencies and the state government. Besides, the court directed the state government to take actions against the officials who facilitated the illegal land acquisition.

During the brief question hour business, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan raised the issue of missing of S.N. Das Mohapatra Limited (SNML) mining lease file from the state secretariat and sought an explanation from the government on this.

BJP Legislature Party Leader K.V. Singhdeo, while expressing dismay over the file missing, said the government could have deliberately suppressed the file as it was a vital evidence to the multi-crore mining scam.

“The missing of S.N. Das Mohapatra Mining Limited file from the high-security state secretariat is a very serious issue. When the state secretariat is not a safe place, one can well imagine what could be the situation outside,” Mr Singhdeo said.

Meanwhile, a team of police officials from the Capital Police Station went to the mining department office in the secretariat and asked the questioned a few officials about the missing file.