POSCO: What the Law Required and What MoEF Did
In all the sophistry and misinformation around the POSCO project, it's easy to lose sight of what was actually required. This chart summarises the result:
| What Was Required | Who It Was Required / Recommended By | What Ministry Did |
|---|---|---|
| Implementation of the Forest Rights Act in the project area | Forest Rights Act | Violated law and stated that on record |
| Consent of the gram sabhas to diversion of forest land, gram sabha certification of FRA completion | Forest Rights Act, Ministry order July 30 2009 | Violated law and stated that on record |
| Comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment of project | EIA notification, also unanimously recommended by Enquiry Committee (including dissenter) as project is "potential environmental disaster" | Ignored |
| Assessment of impact of enormous water withdrawal for plant | EIA notification, unanimously recommended by Enquiry Committee | No assessment; no condition on this; Jan 31st order falsely states that there is a condition that project should "voluntarily sacrifice" water in case of shortage, which in any case has no legal meaning |
| Assessment of impact on marine ecology of private port; thousands depend on fisheries for their livelihood | Orissa Coastal Zone Management Authority; majority of Enquiry Committee; Ministry EAC on Infrastructure | Ignored |
| Likelihood of district-wide devastation in case of cyclone; assessment of disaster management | Regional MoEF office; unanimous Enquiry Committee recommendation | Condition says company should make a plan; no one knows who will look at this plan and what it will have |
| Impact of private port on sand dunes, which are critical for local ecology and saved thousands of lives in 1999 cyclone | Regional MoEF office; majority Enquiry Committee recommendation | Impact never assessed; there is just a condition says "port shall be built without disturbing sand dunes", meaning it will have to be built in mid air |