Vedanta to await local consent for Indian bauxite mine

(Reuters) - Vedanta Resources Plc said on Friday it will not mine bauxite from the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha until it has the consent of local communities.

The announcement marks a victory for the local communities, which have long opposed the company's plans to mine bauxite in an area they consider sacred.

Vedanta said it was working with Odisha government and pursuing other options to source bauxite for its alumina refinery in the state.

The proposed bauxite mining project near the Lanjigarh refinery in Kalahandi district, about 450 km from capital, Bhubaneswar, had drawn the anger of rights groups globally.

(Reporting by Karen Rebelo in Bangalore; Editing by Robin Paxton)