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Tribals oppose mining proposal in Niyamgiri hills

Tribals assemble near secretariat in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday to protest against mining proposal.

BHUBANESWAR: A large group of tribal men and women from Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district on Wednesday staged a dharna at Mahatma Gandhi Marg here opposing proposed mining in Niyamgiri hills.

Holding placards and banners, the tribals, belonging to the Dongaria and Jharnia tribes, came to the dharna site in a procession. They raised slogans vehemently opposing mining of the Niyamgiri hills, known for its rich biodiversity.

The procession was led by Bhakta Charan Das, former union minister and convenor of Green Kalahandi, an organisation that has been strongly opposing handing over of the Niyamgiri hills to the Vedanta Group to source bauxite for its alumina refinery.

The tribals also demanded proper compensation for the families who had been affected by the alumina refinery of Vedanta Aluminium Limited in their locality. Many project-affected families were running from pillar to post to avail the compensation that was due to them, they alleged.

Mr. Das clarified that Green Kalahandi was not opposed to industrialisation in the State, but it would continue to oppose mining of Niyamgiri hills, which was being worshipped by the tribals living there since time immemorial. The Congress leader said the State Government should refrain from handing over Niyamgiri hills and the nearby Karlapat sanctuary to any private company for extraction of bauxite. He warned that a massive agitation would be launched in Kalahandi if permission was granted to any company to mine Niyamgiri hills in the future.

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