On Saturday, more than 7000 people from all over India's Niyamgiri region marched against British mining company Vedanta and their project on the unspoiled mountain range that is ancestral home and place of worship for local tribal people.
Vedanta Resources is set to start open-pit mining for bauxite (a raw form of aluminium) in the Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa, India. The mine will cause massive deforestation, the likely destruction of
local ecosystems and the loss of endangered animals and over 300 rare plants. The Kondha tribal people rely on the mountain for their food, drink, medicines and it is the seat of their god, the
deity Niyam Raja.Over 800 Kondha were joined by thousands of local villagers at the demonstration on Saturday, showing a tide of public opinion against the mine. The people raised banners
against the company and pulled down the signs that are to be found everywhere in the area, bearing the project's slogan ‘Our Vedanta’. A tribal elder, whose name we have
withheld to protect him, said:"Life here is nothing without the forest.. we are getting firewood from Niyamgiri, bamboo, orange, banana, jackfruit, mango, turmeric, roots... Niyamgiri has been
a God for us."
The march was a reaction to attempts by Vedanta to start clearing ground to make way for the vast
mining pit, despite the lack of permission for the mine from the Indian Government.
ActionAid condemns the corporate greed that could cause the destruction of one of India’s last
pristine forests, pollute water systems in a state that suffers regular droughts and leave thousands with no choice but to leave their ancestral lands.
We will continue to stand alongside
the Kondha people and support their struggle to attain basic human rights.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
