With the Orissa Government set to resume land acquisition for Posco's mega steel project in Jagatsinghpur district, a host of civil rights activists and politicians are planning to join the protesters at the site from Saturday.

Swami Agnivesh, who addressed an anti-Posco meeting here and will visit the spot Dhinkia, said “It is illegal to hand over fertile land to a multinational company like Posco. “The State and Central governments have no right to destroy a well developed agrarian economy in the name of establishing the country's biggest FDI,” he said.

CPI(M)'s leader in the Lok Sabha, Mr Basudeb Acharia, will also visit Dhinkia on June 21 to express his party's solidarity with the agitating people, CPI(M) state secretary, Mr Janardan Pati, said.

A host of Gandhian leaders and environmentalist, Ms Vandana Shiva, were also scheduled to visit on June 20, besides CPI veteran, Mr Gurudas Dasgupta a day later, Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti spokesman, Mr Prashant Paikra, said, adding that a BJP team would visit on Sunday.

Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President, Mr Niranjan Patnaik, is scheduled to visit on June 22. “This will be first visit of any PCC chief to Dhinkia area,” Mr Paikray said.

A series of national leaders from different political parties and social activists were also likely to join a massive rally on June 22, the day on which the Posco-India inked the MoU with the State government in 2005, Mr Paikray said.

Human chain

Meanwhile, braving a downpour, villagers mostly children and women, formed a human chain with placards in hand. “We have protested against police entry into Dhinkia gram panchayat area in scorching sun and now children, women and elderly persons will do so in the rain,” PPSS women wing chief, Ms Manorama Khatua said.

On Friday, the State Government cancelled land acquisition plans after a break of five days because of a local festival.

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