Apex court allows Vedanta to undertake mining in Niyamgiri

The Pioneer, 9th August, 2008
Pioneer News Service Bhubaneswar

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Vedanta Resources to take up mining works and extract bauxite from the ecologically fragile Niyamgiri hills for its Rs 4,000-crore alumina project at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district. The judgment came as a respite for the Vedanta Group as it had faced stiff opposition from the voluntary groups to undertake mining. The NGOs had also motivated a section of the local people to oppose the project tooth and nail.
Vedanta wants to dig open-cast mines in the Niyamgiri hills located in Kalahandi district near its project area. "The application of Vedanta is allowed," the Supreme Court bench said in a statement. Vedanta promoted Sterlite Industries had sought clearance for diversion of 660.749 hectares of forest land for mining purposes to provide required raw material for its plant.
The special forest bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justices Arijit Pasayat and SH Kapadia cleared all the hurdles and allowed Sterlite to go ahead with bauxite mining. But, it asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest to proceed in accordance with law.
The local Dongria Kondh tribe is of the view that mining will destroy the hills they consider sacred, force them from their homes and destroy their forest-dependent livelihood.
Earlier, the Supreme Court temporarily barred Vedanta in November from mining bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills. But it asked Vedanta's Indian unit, Sterlite Industries, to come back with a fresh proposal on safeguarding the rights of local tribal people through a new investment firm.
Sterlite Industries, in a statement, said that it was happy that the project had been approved. "We are committed to implementing the project in accordance with the guidelines and safeguards laid down by the court. The bauxite mining project along with the alumina refinery in Kalahandi will bring significant employment and economic livelihood for the local people, the statement added.