This is because Vedanta, India’s largest aluminium producer, does not have its own captive bauxite mine in Odisha since 2007 and buys bauxite from Odisha Mining Corporation. The current BJP-run government in Odisha is getting ready to hand over to Vedanta Sijimali bauxite mining which has 311 million tonne bauxite deposit covering 1549 hectares at Koraput.
Corporate observers say this is an important move after Vedanta failed to get mining rights in Niyamgiri, Koraput district, recently. The only hitch is protests from the tribal leaders. And, the Supreme Court ruling here is very clear. Vedanta can mine bauxite provided majority of tribals give their consent. The general feeling is Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal is an old hat in this game of winning such battles. He will easily wade through ongoing tribal protests at Sijimalli Hills since the opposition numbers are much smaller. It seems Agarwal has the backing of the state’s Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, who is pulling all stops to encourage businesses to set base and expand in Odisha. And, the government walked the talk by not allowing social activist Medha Patkar from entering Rayagada for the next two months to stage protests against Vedanta’s mine project. This gives Vedanta Aluminium enough time to win trust and confidence of local tribals. (Sangram Mohanty by special arrangement with www.shortpost.in)
