With the Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF) showing its red flag to Vedanta Aluminium Limited's proposed bauxite mining project in south Orissa's Niyamgiri hills, the Orissa government is now left with two options- either to move the Supreme Court, challenging the order of the ministry or approach the Prime Minister.
Sources said, it is the state government and not Vedanta which has to seek redressal on the setback suffered by the MoEF decision on Niyamgiri as the lease for the 75 million tonne bauxite deposit there is held in the name of Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), a state-owned body.
“The MoEF may have slammed the door on Vedanta's proposed bauxite mining project but all hope is not lost. There are options of moving the Supreme Court or approaching the Prime Minister on the issue”, said Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and one of the closest aides of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
For the state government, filing an appeal in the apex court seems to be a workable and justifiable option as it has reiterated that whatever has been done in connection with the bauxite mining project is as per the directive of the apex court.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who had called on the Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Monday had categorically stated that the Orissa government has complied with all conditions imposed by the Supreme Court of India pertaining to the proposed bauxite mining project.
Moreover, U N Behera, principal secretary (environment and forest), Orissa government had met the environment minister on Tuesday morning to present Orissa's side of the story on the allegations raised by the four-member Saxena committee pertaining to the proposed bauxite mining project of Vedanta Aluminium.
A delegation of officers led by Behera, who met Ramesh on Tuesday morning, had challenged the Saxena committee on five grounds- impact of hill-top mining on aquifers, impact of mining on vegetation and bio-diversity, impact of mining on wildlife, customary rights of the primitive tribal groups and the role of the gram sabha and other procedural issues relating to the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
