With the dates for holding of gram sabhas in villages on the Niyamgiri hill slopes approaching, various social organisations opposing the bauxite mining project there have intensified their protest over the issue.
Lok Shakti Abhiyaan (LSA), a NGO spearheading the agitation at Niyamgiri, has demanded withdrawal of the government notification for holding of gram sabha in 12 villages on this hill range straddling across two districts of Rayagada and Kalahandi.
Gram sabhas are being held, as per the direction of Supreme Court, to decide the fate of a bauxite mining project, which is crucial for the one million tonne alumina refinery plant of Vedanta Aluminium.
"The state government has no authority to convene gram sabhas. As per the section 6 of the Forest Right Act it is the gram sabhas which will initiate the process, but here the state government is initiating it," said Prafulla Samantara, president, Lok Shakti Abhiyaan. This also contravenes the Supreme Court direction, he added.
He said, the apex court direction clearly mentions that both the Union tribal affairs ministry and the state government would assist the grams sabhas for settling individual and community rights of the primitive tribals - Dongria Kondhs residing on Niyamgiri hills.
"In contrast, the state government has noticed the villagers to file the claims for the conduct of the sabhas which is invalid, and against the spirit of the judgment of the court," he pointed out.
The government notification should be withdrawn and the people should be given free hand to conduct the gram sabhas, he demanded.
Earlier, the Union ministry of tribal affairs (MoTA) had written two letters to the Odisha Governor S C Jamir opposing the state government's decision to conduct gram sabhas in only 12 villages in two districts and urged for expanding the scope of these meetings to more villages on the hill slope.
As per the government decision, the gram sabhas would be held in seven villages in Rayagada district and five villages in Kalahandi district.
The village assembly meetings, beginning at Serajpadhi village in Rayagada district on July 18, would continue up to August 19 at Jorapa village in the same district.
Samantra alleged that the Rayagada district administration has sent a an advance team to survey villages about the people's opinion on mining.
"We will urge the MoTA to assist the gram sabhas. If the tribals of Niyamgiri are allowed to file their claims freely, then the gram sabhas would be held in 100 villages, not 12 villages as decided by the government," he added.
