Centre defers decision on Vedanta's proposal to divert 708 ha forest land for Sijimali Bauxite Mines

    New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) The Union Environment Ministry has deferred a decision on Vedanta's proposal to divert over 700 hectares of forest land in Odisha's Rayagada and Kalahandi districts for the Sijimali Bauxite Mines, citing unresolved issues over community consent, compensatory afforestation and ecological risks, official records show.
    The proposal, taken up at the Forest Advisory Committee's meeting on August 25, seeks diversion of 564.58 hectares in the Rayagada forest division and 143.62 hectares in the Kalahandi (South) division from a total leasehold area of 1,548.78 hectares.
    Vedanta was declared the preferred bidder for the block in a March 2023 auction and plans to mine nine million tonnes of bauxite annually for 31 years. The block is estimated to hold 311 million tonnes of reserves.
    According to the proposal, the mine is needed to partly meet the raw material demand of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh, which operates at six million tonnes per annum capacity. The project also involves the displacement of 100 families from Malipadar in Rayagada and Tijamali in Kalahandi.
    The FAC noted that Odisha had submitted reports from the district collectors certifying due procedure in obtaining Gram Sabha resolutions under the Forest Rights Act.
    However, the committee said the reports did not address concerns raised by villagers and petitioners before the Orissa High Court, according to the minutes of the meeting.
    In March this year, the court recorded allegations that Gram Sabha resolutions in support of mining were "fraudulently" obtained, while subsequent Gram Sabhas in 2024 opposed forest diversion.
    The court directed that the Union government must take the affected communities into confidence before considering the proposal.
    The panel also highlighted ecological concerns. The area, comprising tropical dry deciduous forests with sal trees and mixed species, falls within elephant habitat zones.
    The FAC directed that inputs from Project Elephant be sought.
    It also flagged that the proposed mining zone is prone to soil erosion because of steep slopes, vegetation loss and blasting, and asked the state to submit a detailed mitigation plan.
    On compensatory afforestation, the state has proposed 724 hectares of non-forest land in Rayagada and Kalahandi against the 708 hectares sought for diversion.
    The FAC said that 8.08 hectares of this overlap with land already earmarked for another mining project in Dubna-Sakradihi and sought clarification.
    It also observed that many of the proposed sites showed signs of shifting cultivation and village paths and directed Odisha to provide site-wise reports proving they are free of encroachment.
    Vedanta has argued that mining will be confined largely to sparsely vegetated hilltops, with valleys left untouched and developed as green belts.
    The company has also agreed to bear the cost of a site-specific wildlife conservation plan for the 10-km impact zone, budgeted at Rs 34.44 crore, and compensatory afforestation schemes with an outlay of over Rs 107 crore.
    Still, the FAC said the state must first address gaps relating to the High Court's directions, ecological safeguards, the compensatory afforestation overlap and concerns raised by local people. Until then, the proposal cannot be considered further.
    The Sijimali block, spread over 18 villages in Kalahandi and Rayagada, has been at the centre of protests by tribal communities who fear destruction of forests, water streams and livelihoods.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)