Kalahandi MP wants VAL to meet locals’ demands

The Pioneer, Oct 17, 2009
Bikash Khemka | Bhawanipatna

Stating that his first duty as the Kalahandi MP is to see the development of the area, Bhakta Charan Das on Thursday wanted to make it ‘clear’ that he was not against industry. But he said that in view of the public demands the State Government and Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) should decide their responsibilities towards local development within a month.

Das was addressing a public meeting, Green Kalahandi Samavesh, here, where senior citizens, college teachers, students, tribals and members of CPI and CPI(M) were present in large numbers. The meeting was conducted for taking public view on the VAL project at Lanjigarh in the district.

Environmentalist Prafulla Samantara, Rajendra Bharatee, convener, Green Kalahandi Siddhartha Naik, DCC president Ras Bihari Behera, Nabakishore Patnaik of CPI(M), Dama Behera of CPI, teachers Dr Ajay Mishra and Govnda Rath, advocates Harjinder Singh and Jagannath Mund and president of Niyamgir Surakhya Samiti Kumuti Majhi also placed their views at the meeting.

The MP said that if Vedanta really wants mining at the Niyamgiri hill it should publicly endorse all the Green Kalahandi’s 35-point demands within a deadline of December. “If industry can’t fulfil our demands, our agitation will continue vigorously,” he said. Every four months, a Central team would go in for a review at the mining site and the Government of India would review environmental clearance every year. On employment, he said jobs to all BPL families with permanent facilities of livelihoods should be ensured within five years, he said. One member of each affected family must get a job in the industry, with at least 10,000 youth from the district being employed, he said, adding that the affected people of Lanjigarh, Dongria and Jharnia Kondhs of Niyamgiri hill should be accepted as shareholders by the company.

Das said a medical college with a 500-bed hospital at the district headquarter is highly essential. Besides, 10 technical education centres are also included in the demands. The students from the district with 60 per cent marks should be accepted for education at the Vedanta University. He also wanted VAL’s assistance for development of road and railway infrastructure in the district.

He suggested that VAL should go in for an alternative mining site at Somamali or Sirjumali hill as Niyamgiri hill is full of flora, fauna and rivers.