MoEF panel to review OMC's forest diversion plan

The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has constituted a four-member committee under the chairmanship of N C Saxena, member of National Advisory Council, to look into the issue of diversion of 660.74 hectares (1632.66 acres) of forest land at Lanjigarh for bauxite mining project of Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC).

The committee will submit its findings to the Director General of Forests and Special Secretary, MoEF within a period of 30 days from the date of its constitution.

The four-member committee will work under the directions of Saxena in relation to administrative arrangements and scheduling of field visits. Saxena, the committee chairman, will call on the Chief Secretary, Orissa government on Friday to hold discussions on the issue of diversion of forest land for mining of bauxite by OMC.

It will review all previous reports in relation to the proposal submitted by OMC for the bauxite mining project. Besides, it will undertake field inspections and analysis jointly or severally as decided through consensus by the group.

The secretarial assistance to the committee shall be provided by the Inspector General of Forests in charge of the forest conservation division of MoEF.

Earlier, a three-member committee was constituted by the order of MoEF on January 1, 2010 to consider and make recommendations to the ministry on the proposal submitted by OMC.

This aforesaid submitted its report to the MoEF based inter-alia on the site inspections conducted by it in the months of January and February this year.

After scrutinizing the report of the said committee, the need was felt by MoEF for further examination of the issues of primary importance like settlement of the rights under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, particularly the specific impact on the livelihood, culture and material welfare of the Dongaria Kondhs, a notified primitive tribal Group.Interestingly, the Dongria Kondhs are the same tribal group whose livelihood is allegedly threatened by the proposed mining activities of Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) at Niyamgiri hills near Lanjigarh.

The stiff protest over the livelihood threat to the tribals has held up VAL's bauxite mining plan.

Secondly, the MoEF is of the view that the impact of the forest diversion plan for OMC's bauxite mining project on wildlife and biodiversity in the surrounding areas has to be assessed.

The ministry is of the view that without adequate consideration of these two stated factors, a final decision cannot be taken on the application submitted by OMC for diversion of forest land.