Environmental Protection Group, Orissa

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Film on Niyamgiri and Dongarias by Survival International

Niyamgiri Hill is located in the Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district. It is a scheduled V area, and is inhabited by Dongaria Kondhs, a primitive tribal group. Niyamgiri hills belong to the Eastern Ghats, and in-situ reserves of metallurgical grade bauxite have been reported from this area. More than 75% of the Niyamgiri hills’ landmass is covered with dense forests and it is one of the biodiversity hotspots of Eastern Ghats. The northernmost hill of this hill country is proposed to be mined by Vedanta Alumina Ltd. who is also setting up an alumina refinery at the bottom of the hill by displacing local Kondh tribals. The proposed mining and refinery has led to local resistance as well as opposition by environmentalists. A case against the Vedanta Alumina Ltd. was filed in the Supreme Court, where the petitioners have indicated that massive irregularities have taken place in the proposed project, specially on the environmental aspects. The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court recommended strongly that the Niyamgiri shouldn't be allowed to be mined on environmental and biodiversity grounds. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court overruled the recommendations of its own Central Empowered Committee and decided to allow Vedanta to carry out mining on Niyamgiri. At present, Vedanta is awaiting the final clearance for mining the Niyamgiri from Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Meanwhile on ground the local tribals, including the Dongaria Kondhs have vowed to oppose the mining of Niyamgiri at all costs.

1. Reports and Information on Niyamgiri and Vedanta
2. STUDY ON IMPACT OF PROPOSED LANJIGARH BAUXITE MINING ON BIODIVERSITY INCLUDING WILDLIFE AND ITS HABITAT by  Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
3. Brief Report on Niyamgiri Hill in context of proposed mining by Vedanta (pdf)
4. Vedanta Ravages through India(pdf)
5. Double death: Aluminium's links with Genocide - An articlc by Felix Padel and Samarandra Das 
6. Vedanta case: The Report of the Fact Finding Team deputed by the Central Empowered Commiittee, Supreme Court
7. Vedanta Case: Report Submitted by the Central Empowered Committee to the Supreme Court
8. Vedanta Case: Interim Order of the Supreme Court on the basis of the CEC Report.

1. Appeal to the Supreme Court of India to protect Niyamgiri by Friends of Earth, Finland
2. Appeal to the SC by Kalpavrisksh to protect Niyamgiri 
3. The Latest Judgement of the Supreme Court on Niyamgiri on Nov 23, 2007 
4. Biodiversity of Niyamgiri hill range, Orissa by Chiranjibi Pattanaik and C. Sudhakar Reddy
5. MoEF's "Note on Bauxite Mining in Orissa: Report on Flora, Fauna, and impact on Tribal population" submitted to the Supreme Court in the Vedanta Case
6. Vedanta Cares? Busting the Myths about Vedanta's operation in Lanjigarh, India - A report by Action Aid International
7. Vedanta’s Aluminum refinery project and Bauxite mining project on Niyamgiri: Environmental and Social Costs vis-s-vis benefits to Orissa and its people
8. Mine? What Mine? Ah, Yes, the mine. Article by Kanchi Kohli on Vedanta and Niyamgiri
9. STUDY ON IMPACT OF PROPOSED LANJIGARH BAUXITE MINING ON BIODIVERSITY INCLUDING WILDLIFE AND ITS HABITAT by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
10. ANTHROPOLOGY OF A GENOCIDE:TRIBAL MOVEMENTS IN CENTRAL INDIA AGAINST OVER-INDUSTRIALISATION: By Felix Padel and Samarendra Das
11. Additional Reports and Information on Niyamgiri
12. Dongaria Kondh Rally at Bhubaneswar
13. Update March 2006

Though the Central Empowered Committee has submitted a very strong recommendation in its report to the Supreme Court including the following:

• Mining of bauxite shouldn't be permitted on the Niyamgiri Hill
• The environmental clearance for the alumina refinery should be withdrawn till alternate site for bauxite mining is found

the Supreme Court in an interim order dated 3rd February, 2006 has more or less ignored CEC recommendations and hasn't even considered the recommendation for providing a stay on the further construction of the refinery. The order has asked the MOEF to conduct further studies on the feasibility of the mining of Niyamgiri Mountain and to submit the same to the Forest Advisory Committee of the MOEF within three months. The matter is to be listed again in four months.

This is obviously been seen as a victory by Vedanta which has accelrated its pace of construction of the refinery. It seems that they are very confident of getting clearance for the bauxite mining from Niyamgiri by the time the construction of the refinery is completed. What is the basis of this confidence is the moot question? However, thousands of workers are busy around the clock building the refinery. The impact of this influx and the sudden flow of money to the area has led to difficult social consequences with large number of liquor vends coming up in this tribal area and instances of drunkenness increasing manifolds.