orissadiary.com, Jan 19, 2011
Report by Prabhu Prasad Routray; Lanjigarh: Hundreds of representatives of Contractors Association, Labours Association, Association of Truck Owners, Association of Small Entrepreneurs of Lanjigarh, Biswanathpur, Ambodala and Muniguda area threatened to suicide if Vedanta Aluminium Limited closes its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh which provides livelihood to their families. They came to this conclusion after senior management of the plant informed them about the current situation of the alumina refinery at Lanjigarh.
"We have come to a difficult situation as on December 31, 2010, senior management of VAL informed that Vedanta is going through a rough time as the refinery is incurring heavy loss of Rs. 500-600 crores, so it will be difficult to run the refinery," said Binod Gaud, member of the Contractor's Association.
The association demanded immediate clearance of the Niyamgiri Mining project for the survival o t refinery at Lanjigarh.
After this the association members had met the district administration of Kalahandi to inform them about their situation. "We had met the district collector of Kalahandi and handed over a memorandum saying if the company closes down the refinery our families will come to roads. So please give us alternate ways to earn our livelihood," said Mahesh Agrawal, another member.
They said that it is not possible to find a single person at Lanjigarh area who is not employed directly or indirectly because of Vedanta. More than 10,000 people depend indirectly to VAL.
According to the members, they have invested lakhs of rupees for the company. They have taken loans in building infrastructure like buying vehicles, developing market complex, building houses etc. Apart from this, thousands of people depend indirectly to the alumina refinery for their livelihood. However, if the alumina refinery at Lanjigarh is closed, they will fight to exist.
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