Tribals of Lamba reject Niyamgiri mining plan

The tribal people of Lamba village in Rayagada district on Thursday unanimously voted against the plan to mine bauxite atop Niyamagiri hills, making it the ninth special palli sabha to reject the project.

Earlier eight gram sabhas-five in Kalahandi and three in Rayagada districts had turned down the mining proposal which is crucial to cater the needs of the Vedanta’s one million tonne alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.

Braving heavy rains and amid tight security, as many as 38 voters (18 male and 20 females) of Lamba village expressed their views against the mining project in the hill at the palli sabha, like their fellow villagers in other villages.

“Niyamagiri is part of our lives. It gives us resources. We also worship the hill as our God,” the villagers said in the palli sabha, which was supervised by additional and sessions judge, Rayagada SC Mishra. The gram sabah passed off peacefully, police said. Three more gram sabhas would be held in Rayagada district, which will be completed by August 19.  These are Lakhapadara (August 8), Khambesi (August 13) and Karapada (August 19).

The outcome of the rest gram sabhas are inconsequential since majority of gram sabbas have already rejected the mining plan, sad an office bearer of Niyamagiri Surakhya Samiti (NSS), the organisation spearheading agitation against the project.

Supreme Court in its judgment on the Niymagiri mining project had said, the villagers in the area would decide whether the mining activities would cause harm to their religious right of worshipping Niyam Raja at Hundaljali, about 10-km from the identified mining site.