The agitation against land acquisition for the Rs 52,000-crore Posco steel plant is now being ‘handled and managed' by the Orissa Government, Mr Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests, said.
Speaking to newspersons on the sidelines of a microfinance summit here on Tuesday, Mr Ramesh said: “Environment and forest clearance is not a licence for forceful land acquisition. Agitation is a democratic right. Peaceful agitation and dialogue is what we are hoping for. The matter is now entirely left to Orissa.''The proposed land acquisition Bill was likely to be tabled in Parliament in the ensuing monsoon session, he added.
On sand-mining in Uttarakhand, Mr Ramesh said he was ‘battling' with the State Government since December 2008. “For the last 18 months, no action has been taken by the State Government. If no action is taken in three to four weeks from now, we will take appropriate action,'' he said. The Centre was empowered to take action on the issue according to section V of the Environment Act, he added.
POLAVARAM project
There was no change in the decision to hold back clearance for Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh. “Till we find a satisfactory way of ensuring non-submergence of villages in Chhattisgarh and Orissa, it is difficult to clear the project,'' Mr Ramesh said. The AP Govt had proposed an embankment wall with Rs 620 crore to prevent submergence of villages in Chhattisgarh and Orissa. “A final decision has to be taken by these States on this issue,'' he added. A cumulative impact assessment of all power projects was also sought from the State Government, he added.
MFI BILL
On the AP MFI Act, the Union Minister said: “The Melagam panel of Reserve Bank of India supports AP MFI Law.'' When asked on the proposed central legislation on MFIs, he said the process of any Bill would take 12 to 18 months. “Meanwhile, the AP Act will be there,'' he added.