MINING AND INDUSTRIALISATION UPDATE, ORISSA - Vasundhara

annual capacity plant in two phases nearAngul.Posco standoff turnsstudents into truantsStatesman News ServiceJAGATSINGHPUR, July 2: The fate of theproposed mega-steel project Posco is still inlimbo. It was aggravated by a string ofevents, ridden with violence ~ the recentrecovery of a huge cache of arms andammunitions from Govindpur primaryschool, the death of Dula Mandal and thepalm-chopping of Mr Natabar Khatua. Theeducation of the village children has come toa grinding halt due to the fracas over therecent recovery of arms and weapons fromthe school, billed as the ‘arms depot’.According to sources, many students ofGovindpur primary school already becametruants due to unabated violence. After therecovery of arms from there, studentstrength, which is now 150, has hit the rockbottom. The anti-Posco group members arereluctant to send their wards to the school,anticipating wrath from the projectsupporters, who have allegedly used theschool building to hoard weapons. Theprotestors said this may prove detrimental tothe children. One anti-Posco activist, MrPradip Burdhan said he has stopped sendinghis children to the school for fear of theirsafety. He also said the project supportershave hidden arms in the school to avengethem.The project supporters are in nodifferent situation. While 26 pro-Poscosupporters have been arrested by police overthe Dula Mandal murder case, others havereportedly abandoned their houses,anticipating retaliation from their rivals.Sudhir Mandal, a student ofGovindpur primary school said a greatdivide has come into play among thechildren. Children of pro-Posco familiesstick together and ridicule the ones fromtheir rival group. Some even alleged thatschool bags, study materials and booksprovided by Posco were burnt by a handfulofstudents.The school headmaster, MsPankajini Gantayat has complained thatstudents have stopped coming to the schoolaltogether in the wake of these incidents.Tata Steel to startconstruction work in amonth: MuthuramanPioneer News Service, 3 July , 2008Tata Steel Managing Director DMuthuraman on Tuesday called on the ChiefMinister Naveen Patnaik and discussedabout the progress of the construction of thework for its proposed six million tonnesplant proposed to be set in Kalinga Nagararea at an investment of Rs 15,000 crore.Talking to reporters, Muthuraman said thecompany would start construction workwithin one month. The company has appliedfor mines to ensure uninterrupted supply ofiron ore for the steel plant. On people facingdisplacement due to the project,Muthuraman said the process ofrehabilitation of affected families wasalready in progress with steps being taken inthis direction. The project work was delayeddue to the Kalinga Nagar shoot out in 2006that led to the killing of 14 people.Vedanta gesture toanganwadi childrenThe Hindu,8 July, 2008Bhubaneswar: In a bid to widen its corporatesocial responsibility, the Vedanta group hasembarked on a mission to care for more than40,000 anganwadi children in some of theState’s most backward areas. The VedantaAluminium Limited has entered into a MoUwith the Orissa government and SterliteFoundation for adopting 400 anganwadis inKalahandi district, where its aluminarefinery has started trial production at6