Nearly 10,000 tribals staged a protest in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar on Friday against an iron ore mine allotted to NMDC in Bailadila hills. The protest could become a huge land conflict like the Niyamgiri movement, which made headlines some years ago when the tribals in Odisha’s villages opposed a mining project, leading to its cancellation.
In Dantewada district of Maoist-infested Bastar, NMDC was allotted Bailadila Deposit-13. The state-run iron ore miner operates two other mechanised mines in the area.
A major part of Bailadila hills, endowed with world-class iron ore reserves, has been under a strong influence of Maoists.
NMDC formed a joint venture