The Orissa High Court today issues notice to the Centre on a petition filed by Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL) challenging the decision of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) stopping expansion of the company’s Lanjigarh alumina refinery and its captive power plant.
A division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice Harjinder Singh Bhalla adjourned the case to February 2 after hearing over it partly today. The bench issued notice to the Centre for getting instruction on the matter.
The bench is likely to go for a joint hearing after tagging all the matters pertaining to the issue. Besides VAL’s plea, a petition filed by the Orissa government and several PILs, including one by Lanjigarh Anchalika Vikash Parishad seeks to quash the October 22, 2010 notice of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MoEF).
While disallowing bauxite mining in Niyamgiri Hills of Kalahandi district, the MoEF had scrapped the six-fold expansion proposal of VAL’s Lanjigarh alumina refinery. The company intended to increase the capacity of the refinery from one million tonne per annum to six million tonne per annum and that of its captive power plant from 75 Mw to 300 Mw.|
