The Forest Advisory Council will be meeting today to review the split report submitted by the central panel consisting of four members headed by the former Union Environment Secretary, Meena Gupta. The outcome of the mentioned meeting might have the telling for the fifty one thousand crores of rupees worth POSCO Steel project in Orissa.

The panel was entrusted with the responsibility of finding out whether the project had violated the Central Acts. The largest foreign investment project in India, Posco which is a South Korean Project could not take off in the past five years as there were different reasons. Local people opposed the project vehemently as they did not want to part with their land.

A final decision will be taken on this by the environment minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh.

The environment clearance procured by the company has been asked to revoke by three members present in the panel. They have pointed out that the project did not comply with Forest Rights Acts and Environmental norms and has too many illegalities.

On the other hand Meena Gupta had reported that the company’s clearance should not be cancelled and the firm should be asked to rectify its mistakes.

Jairam Ramesh the minister of environment will take the final decision over the matter and it goes without saying that the recommendations of the panel will weigh down on him heavily.

However there are several other issues which Posco is faced with. It has to renew its MoU with the Orissa Government. It has to take the grant of mining lease from the government of Orissa which got expired in the month of June of 2010.

The meeting of the Forest Advisory Council which will write the fate of the Posco steel project will start at ten am in the morning in Ban Bhawan.