K'handi locals urge CM for Vedanta bailout

Over 100 local people of lanjigarh block and Bhawanipatna met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Naveen Niwas here on Friday and submitted a memorandum.They sought urgent intervention by the Government to bail out Vedanta’s alumina refinery from the current crisis which it faces in absence of bauxite from Odisha.

They demanded that the Odisha Government should immediately take steps to secure bauxite from Niyamgiri for the refinery and informed that once the refinery is closed, nearly 10,000 people will be directly affected. They demanded that the Government must ask the company not to go for a shutdown. 

They sought personal intervention of the Chief Minister in the issue. The delegation was accompanied by MlAs Balbhadra Majhi, Anama Naik and Dibyashankar Mishra.

All efforts should be made to keep the project operational as it is essential for the development of the local economy, said Majhi.Meanwhile, sources have confirmed that the Ministry of Steel and Mines will convene an urgent meeting on Saturday and has invited MP Kalahandi and all regional MlAs including of lanjigarh, Junagarh, Bhawanipatna and Narla along with the company officials to discuss the issue.