Odisha sends Niyamgiri palli sabhas' verdict to MoEF

Palli sabhas held in 12 hill slope villages in Rayagada, Kalahandi districts; stretched for over a month

The Odisha forest department has sent the resolutions of 12 palli sabhas conducted to decide the fate of mining bauxite atop the ecologically fragile Niyamgiri hills, to the Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF).

The palli sabhas held in the hill slope villages in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, stretched for over a month, between July 18 and August 19. The Dongaria Kondhs unanimously nixed the bauxite mining plan, dealing a body blow to Vedanta Aluminium's plans to source bauxite from Niyamgiri to feed its refinery installed at Lanjigarh on the foothills.

"The state SC & ST department had forwarded the record of the gram sabha proceedings and we have sent the same to the MoEF. There are no comments from the government.  The gram sabha proceedings includes video recordings and comments by the presiding district judge that the meetings were held in a free and fair manner”, said a senior forest department official.

The gram sabhas were conducted as per the direction of the Supreme Court in its order dated April 18 this year. The gram sabhas were to take a decision within three months as per the apex court order and the same was to be communicated to the MoEF through the state government. Thereafter, the MoEF was to take a final decision on grant of Stage-II forest clearance for the bauxite mining project (BMP), in the light of the decisions of the gram sabhas in two months.

In its order, the Supreme Court held that if the BMP, in any way, affects the religious rights of Dongaria Kondh, Kutia Kondh and others, especially their right to worship their deity, known as Niyam Raja, on the hill top of the Niyamgiri hill range, that right has to be preserved and protected. The state government, through its reading of the apex court order, selected 12 hill slope villages for the council meetings- seven in Rayagada district – Serkapadi, Kesarpadi, Khambesi, Jarapa, Batudi, Lamba and Lakhpadar and five in Kalahandi – Tadijhola, Palberi, Phuldumer, Ijurupa and Kunakuda. In all, 900-odd tribals were destined to decide the fate of Vedanta’s alumina refinery.

The outcome at all these palli sabhas was alike- a resounding no to the mining plan by the tribals who claimed community and worship rights over the entire hill range, though the apex court had wanted to know if mining at Niyamgiri would anyway affect the worship of Niyam Raja at Hundaljali, the abode of the tribals’ deity about 10 Km away from the mining site.