'As of now there are no mining activities,' but 'who knows the future?'
Sourcing bauxite from other states to add Rs 600 crore to cost.
Verdict to decide fate of Vedanta Aluminium's Rs 40,000-cr projects in Odisha that will source bauxite from Niyamgiri.
Even though Vedanta Resource's proposal to mine bauxite at the sacred mountain in Orissa's Kalahandi district is rejected, for thousands of tribals like Laksa Majhi, who for countless generations have lived in the shadow of Niyamgiri, the insecurities persist.
Of 22 eligible voters in the village, 19 persons -- 12 women and 7 men -- attended the gram sabha, despite heavy rains to voice their opposition to the project. Tadijhola, located on the foothills of Niyamgiri, is predominantly inhabited by the milkmen community.
The Supreme Court on April 18 ordered the villagers be provided with basic forest rights in form of the land titles
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday termed as "illegal" Vedanta's bauxite mining project in Orissa's Niyamgiri hills which was denied environmental clearance by the Centre.
There is little doubt that the Dongria Kondhs are facing their biggest challenge. Being small in number, they need special attention and care in order to fight this deadly virus.
Mining major Vedanta Resources on Thursday said its investment in India would come down by up to $2 billion (nearly Rs 9,000 crore) in the next two years as expansion plans are put on hold after the group has been denied permission to mine bauxite in Orissa's Niyamgiri hills.
Celebrations, of course, will happen when Congress scion, Rahul Gandhi, who anointed himself as the 'sepoy of Niyamgiri tribals in Delhi' at a public meeting here in 2008, visits the area again shortly.
All the 12 gram sabhas held in July-August last year had unanimously expressed opposition to the mining operation in the hills saying it would violate their social, cultural and religious rights.
From raw material shortage to environmental activists and high debt, Vedanta Resources is up against a lot.
Even as this village on the slopes of the rugged Niyamgiris gets ready to host the maiden gram sabha on Thursday to decide the fate of a bauxite mining project on the hills, life for the local Dongaria Kondh tribals, who consider the hills sacred, continues as usual.
The most significant development over the last 10 years is that such organisations have accepted the need to operate on the basis of the principle of FPIC, namely Free, Prior and Informed Consent, by the local people whom a mining project affects.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit back at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for calling the national party "corrupt", saying the ruling Biju Janata Dal is responsible for a series of scams in the state.
The Environment and Forests Ministry was in news throughout 2010 -- be it for Vedanta Resources, Posco and Lavasa -- or for Jairam Ramesh's aggressive green activism.
The mining ban has implications beyond just protecting the environment and tribal rights.
Sam Pitroda says Rahul Gandhi's support for the tribals is correct and while he backs development he says it must be done by preserving the rights and culture of the tribals.
From a legal perspective, 2008 has been noteworthy for the corporate world as the Supreme Court cleared the environmental hurdles for three projects, which entailed investments in billions of dollars. On other hand, the apex court asked the Central Pollution Control Board to probe into the allegations made the Orissa against Paradeep Phosphates Ltd, which was also asked by the state to shut its factory for releasing hazardous pollutants.
The Vedanta Group, which was issued a show cause notice for allegedly flouting environment laws, will appear before the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) on Thursday
Vedanta Group, which was denied mining rights in Orissa's Niyamgiri hills, on Thursdaysaid it will not pull out of the state.
Environment struggles are now being used to create political space and new form of vote bank politics, alleges BJP activist Bhupender Yadav.
Moily had last week rejected Vedanta's proposal to mine the Niyamgiri hills after 12 village councils of Dongriya Kondh tribal groups opposed the project in their forests.
The next auction for bauxite blocks in Odisha may see heightened interest with Adani Group charting an entry into alumina refining and existing players looking to boost capacity. Hemant Sharma, principal secretary, Odisha industries department, said that three bauxite blocks have been scheduled for auctions this year. Adani Group - which will be setting up a 4-MMTPA alumina refinery and may enter aluminium production - is expected to bid for mines, though raw material linkages shall be available from Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday cautioned people against political parties making 'tall pre-election promises' and asked voters not to get misled and carried away.
Accusing the Biju Janata Dal government in Odisha of hijacking the credit for the work done through the welfare programmes of UPA government, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed the state is ruled by "mine mafia" and not by the people's representatives.
The company shut down its 1-mtpa (million tonnes per annum) alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district in the state on December 5 due to acute shortage of bauxite to feed its plant.
The company aims to make Lanjigarh refinery the first zero-based refinery in the world.
The recent Vedanta verdict is an aberration, not a trend, feels Nityanand Jayaraman.
'I wish I could tell you that what you had to experience is limited to a few people and a few places in my beautiful country; it is not.' A Mango Indian on the stark ugliness that coexists with immense beauty in India
As oil minister, he has overseen India's petroleum and natural gas needs. But now he also runs the environment ministry, where he has issued permits for 100 stalled projects in a month-long spree that has delighted industry but shocked green activists.
'Which one of us would give up our flats for development?' 'We insist that others, who are unwilling but weak, make all the sacrifices on our behalf and then we are puzzled when there is violence against the State,' says Aakar Patel.
As per revised rules every four tribals is likely to be displaced or affected by projects, as their habitations were rich in natural resources
The event was attended by senior Congress leaders such as former prime minister Manmohan Singh
'You have to respect nature. You won't respect nature unless you see nature's fury.'
Vedanta Resources has huge interests in India. The promoter and majority shareholder of Vedanta Resources, Anil Agarwal, also founded Sterlite Industries.
Eleven things we learnt about Rahul Gandhi's style of functioning from former Union minister Jayanthi Natarajan's November 214 letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Almost every home in this area has a slogan 'Jal, Jangal, Jameen' painted outside. Rashme Sehgal reports for Rediff.com on the four-year battle to save the Mahan forest in Madhya Pradesh.
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