Vedanta Aluminium has violated forest conservation guidelines and failed to follow the Forest Rights Act in letter and in spirit at a proposed bauxite mine project in the Niyamgiri Hills of Orissa, according to a report submitted by a three-member team to the Union Environment and Forests Ministry.
Following allegations about the project earlier this year, the Ministry constituted the team — with a forestry official, a former government wildlife official and an independent sociology expert — to inspect the site and speak to all stakeholders. Its report was considered by the Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee on Friday, and the Orissa government asked to provide an explanation for the violations, according to Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests.
The company built an incomplete mine access road passing through both forest and non-forest areas and constructed 47 pillars for a conveyor corridor before receiving clearance, in violation of the Forest Conservation Act guidelines, according to a site inspection by J.K. Tewari, Chief Conservator of Forests. As for wildlife, Vinod Rishi, former Additional Director-General of the Wildlife Institute of India, has said the Niyamgiri ecosystem would recover if no further diversion of forest land for mining is allowed.
It is the report of Usha Ramanathan from the Centre for Study of Developing Society, which is the most damning. She says the Forest Rights Act has yet to be implemented in the area.
The local Dongria Kond tribals have not been made fully aware of their land rights, nor have they been consulted on the mining project, because under the strict definition, they are not displaced people.
However, Dr. Ramanathan notes, “the disruption of their habitat and way of life…may lead to the destruction of the Dongria Konds as a Primitive Tribal Group.”
She also documents cases of repression of public opinion and dissent by both the company and local authorities and reports of pollution by Vedanta’s nearby refinery.