3 days ago
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The Odisha authorities has granted support for the operation of a roadworthy connecting State Highway 44 and Sijimali hilltop to facilitate the proscription of bauxite successful Kashipur artifact of Rayagada district.
Sijimali, with an estimated 311 cardinal tonnes of bauxite, was allocated to Vedanta in March 2023. The mineral is important for the Vedanta Group to support its alumina refinery astatine Lanjigarh running. However, the task has since been facing absorption from section people, who fearfulness that mining enactment could adust up streams and adversely interaction their livelihood.
For respective months, villagers person been surviving successful makeshift shelters atop the hill, keeping a round-the-clock ticker to forestall the operation of the roadworthy from Bichhapinda on SH-44 to Sijimali hilltop.
The State-run Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) had applied for the diversion of 4.911 hectares of wood onshore for the operation of an entree roadworthy from Sijimali bauxite mines (Hill Top) to SH-44 to facilitate bauxite transportation.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change granted Stage-I (in-principle) support for diversion of the wood onshore successful January 2026.
Subsequently, considering the compliance with the conditions laid down nether the ‘Stage-lI in-principle’ approval, the Ministry granted Stage-ll support (final) nether Section-2 (1) (ii) of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 for non-forestry usage of 4.911 hectares of wood onshore successful favour of IDCO connected May 6, 2026.
Following the last approval, the Odisha authorities has present allowed non-forestry usage of 4.911 hectares of wood onshore for roadworthy construction.
“The Rayagada Collector and Divisional Forest Officer are authorised to manus implicit the forestland coming wrong their jurisdiction, arsenic has been yet diverted aft indispensable compliance pursuing owed process of law. Before handing implicit the diverted forestland to the idiosyncratic agency, it shall beryllium ensured that Net Present Value of the wood onshore for this task for which support has been obtained shall beryllium deposited successful afloat astatine applicable rates,” the State authorities directed.
The support comes arsenic a large alleviation for the Vedanta Group, which has agelong tried to person a dedicated bauxite root person to the Lanjigarh refinery. For much than 2 decades, the institution has been moving the refinery by sourcing bauxite from wrong the state and outside.
Sijimali is expected to assistance span the earthy worldly gap, particularly arsenic the institution eyes an enlargement of its refinery capableness from 2 cardinal tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 6 MTPA astatine Lanjigarh, a determination that would necessitate up to 18 cardinal tonnes of bauxite annually.
