“Niyamgiri is our father, our mother and God. It is our source of sustenance and we will not allow mining activities here even if it requires to lay down our lives,” was the unanimous voice of Dongaria Kondhs in the first gram sabha or village-level meeting held at Serkapadhi village under Muniguda block in Orissa’s Rayagada district.
The gram sabha was organised as per the April 18 order of the Supreme Court. The court asked the state to hold gram sabhas in the Dongaria Kondh villages on Niyamgiri hills to listen to their viewpoints on the proposal for bauxite mining in the region.
The top court also asked the state government to honour the ancient tribe’s religious and other rights.
Attired in their traditional clothes and carrying traditional arms, the Dongaria Kondhs attended the gram sabha which was held under the supervision of Rayagada district sessions judge Sarat Chandra Mishra.
“We are living in Niyamgiri and will die here only. We won’t allow any company to tamper with its physicality,” the tribals said.
Local ward member Sriram Garadia said all the adult Dongaria Kondhs voiced against bauxite mining in Niyamgiri. The district sessions judge also stated that the tribals did not approve of the mining proposal.
“The tribals opposed the proposal for raising of bauxite mining,” the judge said.
On July 2, the state government had notified that Gram Sabha would be held at 12 villages in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts between 18 July and 19 August.
Vedanta Aluminium Limited, which has set up a one-million-tonne capacity refinery project on the foothill of Niyamgiri, was promised bauxite from the hill. However, it faces a lot of difficulty to run the unit as mining of the mineral still remains a non-starter because of the protests by the local tribals.
The outcome of the Gram Sabhas in Niyamgiri hills will almost decide the fate of mineral based industries in the country.
Despite severe criticism of its selection of only 12 out of 162 villages in and around Niyamagiri for holding gram sabhas, the state government stuck to its decision after Orissa’s advocate general backed the decision.