Tribals hail environment ministry blow to mining atop Niyamgiri

Pro-mining group to observe Lanjigarh bandh today in protest

The local tribals inhabiting the foothills of Niyamgiri have welcomed the decision of the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) to reject the bauxite mining plan on this hill range.

The tribals observed 'Vijay Diwas’ (Victory Day) on Thursday and took out a rally at Muniguda in south Odisha's Rayagada district.

Hundreds of Dongaria and Kutia Kondhas united under the banner of Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti (NSS), the organization spearheading the protest against the bauxite mining project, praised the ‘Niyam Raja’ (their presiding deity) and marched in a procession. The rally also saw participation of leaders of other organisations. “It’s the victory of Niyam Raja. We will not give up Niyam Raja and his abode-the Niyamgiri at any cost,” said Lada Sikaka, president of NSS.

On the other hand, Lanjigarh Vikash Prishad (LVP), the pro-mining organization, has called a 12-hour bandh at Lanjigarh on Friday, demanding allotment of alternative bauxite source to Vedanta to run its refinery, which was built on assurance of bauxite supply from Niyamgiri hills.

“The development in Kalahandi, particularly that in Lanjigarh area, has suffered a setback with this decision of the Central government. We demand alternative sources of bauxite to run the refinery at Lanjigarh,” said Sridhar Pesnia, president of LVP.

“We will not allow the plant to shut down,” Pesnia said at a press conference at Bhawanipatna. He also appealed to all sections of people to cooperate in the 12-hour bandh on Friday.

The MoEF had recently red flagged bauxite mining at the ecologically sensitive Niyamgiri hills after the local tribals unanimously thumped down the mining plan at the gram sabhas held in 12 hill slope villages in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. The village council meetings were conducted in July and August last year as per the direction of the Supreme Court.

Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (now Sesa Sterlite Ltd) runs its one million tonne refinery at Lanjigarh on externally sourced bauxite. It had entered into a joint venture with the state run miner Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) for raw material supplies.

The refinery is presently operating at 80 per cent capacity on raw material sourced from states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.