Over 100 activists from five political parties courted arrest today while staging a 'civil disobedience' in Bhubaneswar demanding the withdrawal of police from the proposed POSCO steel plant site.
Activists of CPI, CPI(M), Forward Bloc, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party participated in the 'civil disobedience' near the Secretariat here, demanding withdrawal of police from the proposed POSCO site.
The activists were arrested for attempting to break prohibitory orders, said officials.
Meanwhile, the state government did not resume activities for the proposed plant in the villages under Gada Kujang and Nuagaon gram panchayat areas, despite pro-project groups agreeing to cooperate with the administration.
"There will be no project related works for two-three days as the (police) force was diverted to the Ratha Yatra festival at Puri," a senior official said.
Meanwhile, leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress and party MP Pradeep Kumar Majhi visited the proposed plant site area and expressed solidarity with the anti-project POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti.
"We demand shifting of POSCO project from Dhinkia to any other barren land," Majhi said, adding he would raise the issue of forcible land acquisition for Posco project in Parliament.
