Vedanta, whose proposal to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills, was rejected by the Centre on Tuesday, says the Orissa government “is actively considering allocation of an alternative source of bauxite to Vedanta's alumina refinery.”
In a statement, it also reiterated that there were “no regulatory violations of any kind at the Lanjigarh Alumina refinery.”
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests says that the company violated environment and forest laws by illegally grabbing village forest land and expanding the refinery without permission. It is investigating reports that 11 of the other mines from which Vedanta sources bauxite do not have valid clearance.
Vedanta's statement reiterated that its mining project had been extensively reviewed by the Supreme Court, which passed a favourable judgment in 2008.
The company said its project had been meant to encourage investment in world-class bauxite deposits in one of the most backward districts in the State, and pointed to its $5.4-billion investments and generation of 10,000 jobs as part of its Orissa aluminium projects.
