After 10 out of the 12 Palli Sabhas in the tribal villages having opposed bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri Hills, Vedanta Aluminium limited (VAl) sources have stated that the company will discuss this fallout with the State Government soon while continuing to operate its refinery plant by getting the raw material from other sources.
The VAl sources said that the company’s priority is to run the plant through domestic supplies of the raw material. However, the company would discuss the issue of opposition to mining in Niyamgiri with the State Government soon, they said.
The one-million tonne Vedanta alumina plant at lanjigarh in Kalahandi district was reopened recently after being shut for about seven months due to shortage of bauxite. The plant is running only at 60 per cent capacity. Under the company’s contractual agreement with the State Government, the latter has to supply around 150 MT of bauxite over a 25 year period.
The VAl refinery is now being run using ore from the neighbouring States of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Currently, there is no decision on importing bauxite, the company sources said.
The VAl operates its alumina refinery at lanjigarh and aluminium smelter along with a captive power plant at Jharsuguda.