Vedanta hits another roadblock,MoEF forms new panel on project

Plans by Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite in Niyamgiri to feed its alumina refinery in Lanjigarh area of Orissas Kalahandi...

Plans by Vedanta Resources to mine bauxite in Niyamgiri to feed its alumina refinery in Lanjigarh area of Orissas Kalahandi district face further delay after the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on Tuesday formed a new committee,headed by former Planning Commission member N C Saxena,to look into the issues related to alleged violation of forest rights of tribals living there.

A global campaign against the project,which will impact settlements of tribals at the proposed site,has been raising its pitch for the past one year. The earlier committee constituted by the ministry gave a report that neither opposed the project or endorsed it. In its Tuesday notification,the MoEF said the four-member panel headed by Saxena (from the National Advisory Council) would include S Parasuraman from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Promode Kant and Amita Baviskar from the Institute of Economic Growth.

The committee has been asked to review previous reports in relation to the application as mentioned for diversion of forest land for the purpose of mining of bauxite in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts in Orissa. It would also undertake field inspections and analysis jointly or severally as decided by consensus by the group and 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.

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We felt the need to look at the same issues again. The idea is to see how biodiversity is being affected in the area,and how the settlement of rights of tribals and other traditional forest dwellers would take place, said a ministry official.

The project is a joint venture between Vedanta,Sterlite and Orissa Mining Corporation. The one-million tonne refinery is in the eye of a storm with activists taking up cudgels on behalf of the aborigine Dongaria Kondhs living on the slopes of Kalahandis Niyamgiri mountain,from where the company plans to mine the bauxite ore. The company has got the environmental clearance from the MoEF but is yet to get forest clearance.

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