Bauxite mining comes to halt at Hindalco mine

Bauxite mining by Aditya Birla owned Hindalco Industries has came to a grinding halt in the Mali Parbat area near Semiliguda in south Odisha's Koraput district with the district administration imposing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC.

The prohibitory orders have been clamped in the area on August 21 in the wake of tussle between pro and anti-mining groups over mining of bauxite by Hindalco.

The clash between the two groups had also occurred on January 10 this year. The supporters of the Mali Parvata Surakhya Samiti (MPSS), the tribal organisation spearheading the agitation, had damaged over 15 vehicles of the company that had entered the mines in the morning.

"Since the situation is tense, we have imposed prohibitory orders in the area," said sub divisional police officer (SDPO) of Sunabeda V M Rao. The situation is normal, he said. Company officials were not available for comment on the situation.

The anti-mining organization alleged around 40 villages under the Sorishapodar, Hundi, Dalaiguda and Pakhajhola panchayats in Similiguda block would be affected by the mining.

"We have demanded for immediate cancellation of the mining lease to the company," said an anti-mining campaigner. He said the water sources would be dried up due to bauxite mining in the area.

"The water sources for irrigation to raise the vegetables in the area will disappear if bauxite mining continues at Mali Parbat. Our livelihood will be robbed. So we are opposing mining atop the mountain", he said. On the other hand, the pro-mining groups said their livelihood is threatened due to halt in transport of minerals. The villagers of some of the villages were engaged in loading and unloading of the minerals and they have pitched for continuing mining.

Hindalco, the aluminum manufacturing company was granted the bauxite mining lease at Mali Parbat near Doliamba, about 20 km from Semiliguda in November 2007. The company obtained the lease for 20 years with mining capacity of 0.6 million tonne per annum. The actual mining activity had started through a contractor engaged by the company on May 2008.

Mining activity was going on smoothly for about two years until the locals started opposing in 2010. Mining operations have been disrupted intermittently due to sporadic protests by the agitating locals.