Naveen calls Oram on POSCO

Naveen calls Oram on POSCO
From Sanjaya Jena in Bhubaneswar

Responding to Jual Oram, Orissa state president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sought a discussion with him on a rift over the deal inked with South Korean steel major POSCO.

While BJP state president chose letter route to convey his apprehensions on POSCO deal, the Chief Minister also conveyed his desire to discuss the matter with Oram through another letter.

Jual Oram had written a letter to Patnaik expressing doubts over the deal signed by the state government with POSCO for a 12-million tonne steel plant in Orissa.

Oram'sletter had sought 12 clarifications from Patnaik regarding the deal. He had objected to the government proposal, allowing POSCO to export 30 per cent of the ore allotted to it to Brazil.

Patnaik in his letter has invited Oram for a discussion on the matter. ?Instead of writing a letter, you could have discussed your doubts with me, which is more conducive in a coalition government. Had you done so, all your doubts and misconceptions would have been cleared,? Patnaik said in his letter.

?I would like you to come over for a discussion at a time convenient to you with prior intimation to me so that all your doubts can be fully cleared,? Patnaik further said.

However, Oram said that he was not happy over writing a letter to Naveen Patnaik on the matter. But he said it was Naveen Patnaik'sresponsibility to discuss the matter with BJP leadership or BJP ministers in his government. ?If that would have been done, then a situation like I writing a letter to him on reservations on certain clauses of POSCO MoU would not have arisen?, Oram reacted to Patnaik'sletter.

According to the MoU, POSCO will build a steel complex of 12-million tonne capacity per annum, a sea port, captive power plant and rail link in Paradeep in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur. Apart from that, 600 million tonnes of iron ore mine would be allotted to the company for its use over a 30 years period. The company is to spent Rs 51,000 crore in the project.