Niyamgiri tribals say no to Vedanta bauxite plant

Jul 31, 2013 - Rashme Sehgal |

Age Correspondent

The Supreme Court has ordered Orissa government to submit a report, based on the views of villagers, within three months to be forwarded to the environment ministry. The ministry has, in turn, been given a two-month time period to take a final view on granting clearance to the mining project.

Seven of the 12 gram sabha meets have rejected the Vedanta Aluminum Ltd proposal to mine bauxite in Orissa’s Niyamgiri hills. The last one to do so, met at Phuldumer in Kalahandi district on Monday which saw 32 women attend the gram sabha held under the supervision of an additional district judge P.K. Jena.
The other five gram sabhas are expected to complete their referendum on Niyamgiri mining by August 19.
“Your temples are made of bricks, mortar and sand... ours is made with trees, streams, stones, animals,” said Linga Kadraka at the second gram sabha meeting held at Kesarpadhi village, who along with other tribals wants the entire Niyamgiri hill to be considered sacred.
These seven consecutive rejections have seen a war of words spill out between the ruling BJP and the Congress in Orissa with BJD district president Balahadra Majhi accusing the Congress MP Bhaktra Charan Das influencing tribals against the mining project.

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