BHUBANESWAR: The much-awaited survey work for 12 MTPA mega steel plant proposed by South Korean steel major POSCO near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district commenced on Tuesday.

The Jagatsinghpur district collector, Mr Narayan Chandra Jena here said eight survey teams under the leadership of Additional District Magistrate, Mr Saroj Choudhury were conducting the survey work.
The teams would survey the status of government land, position of the land and enumerate the trees in the project site. The survey was undertaken after discussing the issue with the POSCO joint action committee, Mr Jena said. He hoped that the survey work would be completed within 15 days.
The Collector was talking to newspersons after discussing the issue with state Chief Secretary, Mr T K Mishra here. Mr Jena said the survey would start from Gadakunjaga side and Dhinkia, the village where people have been opposing the project, would be last point for the survey. Though POSCO signed an MoU in 2006 with the state government to set up the Rs 51,000 crore steel plant, considered to be the biggest FDI in the country, it could not make any progress during the last five years due to the stiff resistance from the local people.