Orissa village to use forest Act to block Posco project

10 Aug 2008, 0644 hrs IST, Nitin Sethi,TNN NEW DELHI: Posco and Vedanta might have cleared the hurdles at the Supreme Court but villagers on the ground are hoping the card up their sleeve — the Forest Rights Act — is really an ace and can stall the take over of their lands. In a strategic move, Dhinkia in Jagatsinghpura, the village in the eye of stormy protests against the Posco plant, has passed a resolution declaring its forest as ‘protected’ community forests under the Forest Rights Act. Under the FRA, even the government cannot acquire such declared forest land without the consent of the gram sabha. In a precedent-setting move, that sources say, powerful tribal groups are thinking of replicating, Dhinkia villagers have also passed a resolution demanding that any land taken over be stopped till their rights are settled... [read full story]