India’s ministry for the environment has postponed its decision on whether to provide a permit for a steel mill that South Korean steelmaker POSCO plans to build.

India’s Hindustan Times daily reported Monday that the ministry will seek the opinion of the tribal affairs ministry on possible violations of a law related to forests before it will issue the permit.

POSCO has been pushing to build a steel mill with an annual capacity of more than 12 million tons in Orissa, India, since 2005.

The Indian ministry for the environment has been conducting field investigations on allegations that the building of the plant could violate forestry laws.