Vedanta violating forest laws in Orissa: environment ministry

Multinational mining company Vedanata Resources has violated certain provisions of the Forest Conservation Act, a  three-member team of the ministry of environment and forests has reported after a site inspection at is mining site in the Niyamgiri hills in Orissa.

Revealing this today, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said the reports submitted by the team has cited evidence of violations of green norms at the company's bauxite project in the Kalahandi district of Orissa.

The team, set up by the environment ministry, was asked to report on the use of the 660.749 hactares of forest land in the Lanjigarh bauxite reserve in Kalahandi and Rayagade districts leased to the Orissa Mining Corporation for mining of bauxite ore.

"I would not subscribe to the high-profile campaign in the case by various groups. But I am looking at the case on merit basis. But I can say that they have violated Forest Rights Act, without taking consideration of the tribal rights," Ramesh said on the sidelines of a function in New Delhi.

Vedanta, the minister pointed out, has also started construction work on a land that belongs the revenue department, even before getting government clearance for the project.

This, he said, is over and above the instances of violations cited in the large number of representations he receives with regard to bauxite mining by Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) through Vedanta.