For the first time in the country, the Niyamgiri hill slope villages of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts are going to set a trend for future mining as well as industrialisation in the schedule areas with the conduct of Gram Sabhas from Thursday.
They would decide proposed bauxite mining project for the Vedanta in compliance with the Supreme Court order of April 18 last. The first of the Gram Sabha will be held on Thursday at 11 am at Serkapadi tribal village under Sibapadar Gram Panchayat of Muniguda bock in Rayagada district in presence of the designated representative of the Odisha High Court. The Gram Sabha would hear religious and cultural rights of the tribals and decide whether to allow any mining activities in the hills as per the Forest Right Act-2006.
“The State Government has decided to conduct Gram Sabha in 12 hill slope villages as per the April 18 Supreme Court’s order. While the Gram Sabhas will be held between July 18 and August 19 in seven villages of Rayagada district, similar exercise will be done between July 23 and 30 in five villages of Kalahandi district," said a senior official of the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development Department (SSD).
At least 50 per cent attendance to conduct a Gram Sabha is required and one -third of them should be women. If the quorum is not achieved, the Gram Sabha will be cancelled and conducted later, the official said, adding the hearing would be completed in three months time so as to enable the State to submit the report to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
The Rayagada District and Sessions Judge would be present during the Gram Sabhas to be held in five villages including Serkapali, Kesarpadi, Batudi, Khambasi and Jarapa on July 18, 22, 27, August 13 and 19. In the second phase, Palli Sabhas would be held at August 1 and 7 at lamba and lakhapadar villages of the Rayagada as per a notification issued by district administration.
The Gram Sabhas in five other villages would be conducted by officials of Kalahandi district. The holding of Gram Sabha has become a Herculean task for the both the Rayagada and Kalahandi district administrations as the locations of the villages in the districts are in hilly terrain.
There is no alternative other than to walk between six and 32 km in a day to conduct the meetings, the officials said.