Prohibitory orders at Hindalco mine following group clashes

Tribal agitating against project damages over 15 of firm's vehicles, which entered the area to transport the minerals

Prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC were imposed at Mali Parbat near Semiliguda in south Odisha’s Koraput district on Friday following tension in the area over mining of bauxite by the aluminium major Hindalco.

The tension brew following a tussle between the groups supporting and opposing the mining project. The activists of Mali Parvata Surakhya Samiti (MPSS), the tribal organization spearheading the agitation against the project, are reported to have damaged over 15 vehicles of the company which entered the area to transport the minerals this morning.

“Since the situation is tense, we have imposed prohibitory orders”, said sub collector, Koraput, Samarth Burma. Adequate police forces have been deployed in the area, he added.

Meanwhile, the supporters of MPSS staged dharna at the mining site.

“Though the situation is tense, it is under control”, said inspector-in-charge of Semiliguda police station, A.Rout. “We have instructed the company employees not to enter the hill range, where the mining is being undertaken, as the situation was tense. The situation aggravated as the company people did not abide by the precautionary instructions issued by the police, said another police officer.

No company official was available for comment on the situation.

MPSS activists alleged that around 40 villages under Sorishapodar, Hundi, Dalaiguda and Pakhajhola panchayats in Semiliguda block would be affected by the mining. “We demand immediate cancelation of the mining lease of the company”, said president of MPSS, Damburudhara Khillo. He said, the water sources in the area would dry up if mining is allowed at Mali Parbat, affecting farming activities of the local villagers.

“Our livelihood will be robbed. So we are opposing the mining in the mountain”, Khillo said.  Several other organizations have also extended their support to the cause.

On other hand, the pro-mining groups said, their livelihood is threatened due to stoppage of transport of minerals from Mali Parbat. The villagers from local area were engaged in the loading and unloading operation and wanted the mining to continue.  

Hindalco, a Aditya Birla group company, was granted bauxite mining lease at Mali Parbat near Doliamba, about 20 km from Semiliguda in November 2007. The company obtained the lease for 20 years with permission to raise 6 lakh tonnes of bauxite per annum. The actual mining activities had started through the engagement of contractor by the company in May 2008.

The hill range has around 17 million tonnes of bauxite reserves with 44 percent average alumina content.  The mining was going on smoothly for about two years before the local people started opposing it in 2010.  The operation was disrupted time and again due to the agitation by the locals.

The raw bauxite mined at the site was being transported to a depo near Tentuliguda, from where it was sent to Hindalco’s alumina plant in Uttar Pradesh.