About 15 kms from the idyllic hilly town of Semiliguda in South Odisha’s Koraput district, the stage is set for an encore of the Niyamgiri-type agitation, as the tribals gather at the foothills of Mali Parbat to protest against bauxite mining by Hindalco Industries Ltd in the area.
Sharing the concerns of the Dongria Kondh tribe at Niyamgiri, whose protests had put a halt to Vedanta’s bauxite mining plan two years ago, the tribals in Semiliguda are also worried about the protection of their environment and livelihood.
“The water sources which provide irrigation for cultivation of vegetables in the area will disappear if bauxite mining is taken up at Mali Parbat. Our livelihood will be robbed. So, we are opposing mining in the mountain,” said Arjuna Khillo, an anti-mining tribal leader.
Incidentally, Mali Parbat, spread over 270 hectares with a thick vegetation cover, sits on the same bauxite rich and picturesque eastern ghat range as Niyamgiri.
“The vegetables from Semiliguda are not only supplied to different parts of the state, but also transported to towns in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh,” said another tribal agitator, Trilochan Munduli. He added: “The tribal people, who depend on farming, will be pushed to extreme misery when water sources originating from Mali Parbat dry up.”
At least 17 major and perennial streams originate from the hill. Besides, the hill is abundant with a number of medicinal plants, said Prafulla Samantara, a social activist. “For the company, the hill may be a barren land. But for the thousands of the tribals, the hill is the source of livelihood.”
Mali Parbat Surakhya Samiti, which is spearheading the agitation, claims around 10,000 tribals belonging to 44 villages in Sorispoda, Kankadambo, Tentuliguda, Mugunaguda, Doliamba and Pankajhola gram panchayats will be affected if mining is taken up on “the sacred hill”.
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Damburudhara Khillo, president of the Samiti, said, “The government should cancel the mining lease of Hindalco. Otherwise, we will not allow the company to start mining.”
Hindalco, an Aditya Birla Group company, was granted bauxite lease for over 270 ha in Mali Parbat for a period of 20 years in November 2007. The hill has around 17 million tonnes of bauxite reserves with an average 44 percent alumina content.
Actual mining activities had started through a contractor engaged by the company in May 2008. The operation was going on smoothly for about two years before it was halted following stiff opposition from the local people in 2010.
Things again reached a flash point last month when contractors attempted to resume operation. Hundreds of tribals staged a dharna at the mining site stalling the move.
“The mining operation has been stopped in the area for the last two years due to the resistance of the local people. When we tried to resume work from the last month through our contractors, they again protested,” said Manik Chakraborty, assistant vice-president (mines) at Hindalco. He said about 50,000 tonnes of bauxite from the mine was supplied to the alumina refinery at Renukoot in Uttar Pradesh.
“Despite not being able to operate the mines, we have spent around Rs 70 lakh on the development of the area under our corporate social responsibility schemes in the last four years. The amount was mainly spent on construction of panchayat and village roads, health camps, ambulance and education of the tribal children,” Chakraborty added.