Public hearing on Vedanta held

Tathya.in, April 25, 2009
Lanjigarh:25/April/2009

The public hearing to obtain people's view on the environment clearance of Vedanta Aluminium Limited(VAL)’s proposed expansion of its Alumina Refinery was held at Belemba Village, near Lanjigarh on 25 April.

About 500 people were gathered in the meeting, organized by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB).

The meeting was presided by Chudamani Seth, ADM, Kalahandi.

Er.PC Rout of OPSCB facilitated the open public hearing.

Mukesh Kumar, Chief Operating Officer(COO) of VAL made a brief presentation about the expansion project by the company.

Dr.Kumar said that VAL is expanding its refinery capacity from 1 million ton per annum (MTPA) to 6 MTPA.

Several group of people from affected villages such as Belamba, Sindhbahal, Rengopalli, Bandhaguda and Kapaguda attended the meeting.

The villagers expressed their views on environmental aspects of the expansion project by VAL, which has already established a 1 MTPA Alumina Refinery at Lanjigarh.

Local villagers demanded that their land should be taken under the expansion project and they should be given benefits as given to rehabilitated people in the Vedanta Niyamgiri Nagar.

The villagers also stopped some of the outside people and organisations, who were opposing the expansion project and attempted to disturb the proceedings.

They also claimed that expansion of the project will accelerate developmental activities in the area and local people shall be benefited.

“We have seen the developmental work of Vedanta and realize what benefit the company can give us, if we give our land. We have no objection if our land goes for a bigger plant,” said Daaka Majhi, one of the villagers from Bandhaguda village, whose land will be taken under the expansion project.

A group of people from Belamba village also submitted a memorandum to the State Government representatives to give their land for the expansion project and avail benefits as per the R&R Policy of the Government of Orissa.

Lingaraj Majhi of Rengopalli village also says, “If our land will be included in the expansion project, our fate will be changed.

We support the company from its inception and will be happy to give our land for the expansion work.”

Dr. Kumar also addressed concerns raised by the villagers and assured that VAL will take all initiatives for socio-economic and environmental development of the area.

Sanjay Pattnaik, AVP (Special Projects) and RC Rout were also present in the meeting, said a Press Release of VAL.

However scribes covering the public hearing have said that there was tremendous opposition to the move.

People are opposing the expansion of the project and they demand scraping of the project.