Activists caution against efforts to revive bauxite mining in Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills
Activists from the National Alliance of People’s Movements are opposing renewed efforts by Vedanta Group to restart bauxite mining in Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills. They argue that the land belongs to the Dongria Kondh tribal community and that previous gram sabha decisions to reject the project must be respected.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between industrial development and the land rights of indigenous communities in India.
The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), a pan-India platform of groups working to protect the environment, on Tuesday cautioned against what it described as “renewed efforts” to revive bauxite mining in Odisha’s Niyamgiri hills.
The NAPM was reacting to Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal’s recent statement that the Niyamgiri bauxite reserve, spread across Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, should be reopened for mining and that it would create jobs for the local tribal population.
Prafulla Samantara, winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize 2017, said the hills belong to the Dongria Kondh — a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group that has “historically protected and depended on the region’s natural resources”. “Neither Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal nor the State or Central governments can claim ownership over Niyamgiri. The State government must not dare to hand over Niyamgiri to Vedanta again,” he said.
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