The Orissa government’s inability to make a timely intervention has forced the London-listed Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) to shut down, albeit temporarily, its refinery unit at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district. The one-million-tonne refinery facility was shut down on Saturday due to non-availability of bauxite, the key raw material.
“Yes, it is a painful decision. We have shut down the refinery for the time being due to acute scarcity of bauxite. It is a temporary closure. If the situation improves, we will reconsider the option to restart the unit,” VAL chief operating officer Mukesh Kumar said. The closure of the refinery unit has threatened livelihood of at least six thousand people who are directly and indirectly dependent on it.
“We had earlier planned to shut down the refinery on December 5,” Mr Kumar said.