South Korean steel major POSCO, who had planned a Rs 52,000-crore mega plant in Orissa, said on Sunday that it would rather shift the location than invite a bloodbath. The statement came after the company’s officials were abducted by the anti-project activists on October 13. POSCO chief executive officer Ku-taek Lee had announced earlier that it will commence construction of the 12 mtpa greenfield plant on April 1.

POSCO spokesman Sashank Patnaik, quoting the decision of the board of directors who reviewed the progress of the project here on Saturday, said it would prefer to shift to some other place than invite a “bloodbath”. 
“The company would like to set up its project with cooperation of local people. If they do not agree with the project, the company may think otherwise,” Patnaik said.

POSCO-India’s statement followed CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan’s letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he apprehended a “bloodbath” if the Orissa government took “repressive measures” in acquiring land for POSCO.

Though the MoU for the project was signed on June 22, 2005, the company has been facing opposition from the local people. The villagers under the banner of the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti on October 13 had kidnapped and subsequently released four POSCO officials, including three South Koreans.