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The controversy surrounding Vedanta Aluminium's proposed bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri, Orissa rumbles on. The company claims foreign activists have been visiting people affected by the proposed mine to encourage them to continue their resistance, but this has been denied by the local police.
Vedanta Aluminium (VAL) has set up a l^Mt/y refinery and ?.???? aluminium smelter at Lanjigarh. The company was given 2041 acres of land for the proposed refinery. The controversial hills have an estimated bauxite reserve of 73Mt.
The Anil Agarwal- owned Sterlite Industries and the Orissa governments OMC have formed a JV called Southwest Orissa Bauxite Mining for mining bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills. While it has got stage-I forest clearance from the MoEF, stage-I I clearance is awaited.
After failing to win over local villagers in Niyamgiri, Orissa, VAL is making a concerted effort to gain the Union governments support. The company attempted to convince the local government to take villagers into confidence by settling rehabilitation accounts. It also asked nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to play a greater role in negotiating with tribal leaders on behalf of the company. When all attempts were unsuccessful, VAL asked the Union government to show some support for the project before it starts or to call it off.
Propaganda
The company spread news in the mass media that many environmental activists, largely from Europe, were...