New Delhi:
Facing heat from the Centre over mining projects in his state, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is expected to raise concerns over recommendations of a government panel on the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.
Patnaik said he would apprise the Prime Minister on the adverse effects the recommendations would have on investments in the state.
"I shall be meeting the Prime Minister and take up matters regarding the Polavaram issue and also about Posco and put forward the state's demands regarding these two matters," he said.
Patnaik is expected to raise all the issues concerning the state, particularly on the N C Saxena Committee's adverse remarks on Posco and Vedanta projects.
The Centre's clearance to Polavaram dam project in Andhra Pradesh, while the Saxena panel's adverse remarks on Posco and Vedanta projects has irked the administration in Bhubaneshwar.
Asked whether there will be any discussion regarding the Saxena Committee reports, Patnaik said "our forest and environment secretary has already sent the state government's response to the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment regarding that matter."
The Saxena panel had found serious violations in the provisions of environmental clearance and the Environment Protection Act by Vedanta.
One such violation related to the unauthorised expansion of its capacity from one million tonne a year to six million tons.
The expansion had no environment clearance and Vedanta is said to have ignored repeated notices sent by the Orissa Pollution Control Board to stop work.
Set up by the Environment Ministry early this year, the committee, which investigated alleged violations of environmental laws by Vedanta, also accused the company of illegally occupying forest land for its USD 1.7 billion project.
The Environment Ministry had recently given its green signal to divert over 3,000 hectares of forest land for the construction of Indira Sagar (Polavaram) multi-purpose project.