The New Year has begun well for Posco India, reviving its dream of setting up a mega steel project in the state of Odisha. According to sources close to the company, a crucial revalidation of its environmental clearance has been granted. The company had resized its plans in 2013 because of the stiff opposition it faced over a land acquisition in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur, 10km south of the port town Paradeep, to a smaller plant of 8 mt. In 2013, the Supreme Court had given a favourable judgement clearing the way for the Centre to proceed with allocation of the iron ore mine recommended for the company’s project. “We have been informed that the revalidation of the environmental clearance has been signed. The case with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which will resume hearing the matter after it's winter break, end January, should conclude soon now,” said a person close to the company. Work on land acquisition however was halted in May, when the NGT, a fasttrack court for environmental issues, ordered a status quo until the Ministry of Environment and Forests gave the necessary approvals. Environment lawyer, Ritwick Datta who is fighting the case against Posco, said his client has questioned the felling of trees, in the project site, when the state of Odisha is yet to pass such an order under the forest conservation act. “The NGT is to decide whether they can carry on with the cutting of trees in the absence of such an order,” he added. The environment minister, Veerappa Moily was unavailable for comment. An official in his ministry, declining to comment on any specific case said that all (pending) cases are being reviewed. The 12mt integrated steel plant proposed by Posco in 2005, with a valuation of . 50,000 crore, was the biggest FDI in the country that time. However, despite the state CM Naveen Patnaik's support and the commitments made by the prime minister's office, fierce opposition on the ground from villagers led by the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti has kept the project from taking off. In the event of a revalidation, with NGT’s nod, Posco can resume felling of trees at the site. The company has already begun building, not without difficulty, a boundary wall over the area. After eight years of waiting for the identified 4,000 acres, the Korean steel maker is now resuming its project work on 2,700 acres.