Vedanta Update
Bad news from India. After a three year case, the Supreme Court has given Vedanta the go-ahead to mine the Niyramgiri mountains. This could spell disaster for the Kondh tribes who live there - but they are determined to continue their campaign against the desecration of their ancestral lands.
Image © Courtesty of Action Aid
At the Vedanta Resources AGM, the Chairman, Mr. Anil Agarwal, stated:
”As far as our policy is concerned, we won’t do anything outside of the law. India has a state and federal government; it is up to them to decide. The Supreme Court has the highest authority. I can only promise that we will only start work if we have the complete permission of the Court and the people”.
This statement may be key in fighting off the impending mine, as although Vedanta has now been given permission to mine Niyamgiri, during the Supreme Court of India case, the legality of the mining was challenged on environmental grounds.
The legal process produced damning evidence that Vedanta has behaved in “blatant violations” of planning and environmental regulations, indeed the Supreme Court’s own findings by the Central Empowered Committee recommended that the mining operations should be prohibited in such an ecologically sensitive region. The CEC report also documents allegations of beatings of people evicted from their homes by the district administration to make for the refinery, and claims that people living in the rehabilitation colony ended up “effectively being kept prisoners”.
Tribal women gather to protest and listen to speeches at Bijepur at a rally organised by the Adim Adhikar Surakshya Manch (a group to protect tribal groups) against the Vedanta plant.
Image © Stuart Freedman / ActionAid
Experts point out that the project fails to make economic sense for India, claiming that existing ‘brown field’ bauxite deposits can meet India’s projected aluminium needs. The Kondh tribal people have repeatedly asked why the ‘green field’ site of Niyamgiri mountain should have its riches transferred to a foreign corporation. They have repeatedly said that they do not want compensation - they want to hold onto their homelands. There are other sites in Orissa to mine aluminium that do not have such an environmental and human rights impact.
If mining is permitted here, two of India’s strongest constitutional guarantees will be overturned: The Right to Life and Human Dignity (Article 21) and the Right to Religious Practises and Beliefs (Article 25). There is a local protest being planned for the near future - check back for an update soon.
Find out more about the background to this case.
Watch the CNN report on the Supreme Court ruling here.