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Bhubaneswar: South Korean steel behemoth Posco’s mining prospects in Kandadhar hills of Sundergarh district may face the same fate as Niyamgiri Hills, given the Environment Ministry’s January direction in the latter's case rejecting Vedanta’s bauxite extraction plan and endorsing forest rights of tribals following a Gram Sabha verdict.
The Khandadhar watershed and forests, which hold the potential mines for the company after Posco obtained Odisha government’s recent nod to draw water from Mahanadi and Hansua rivers for its 12 MTPA steel project near Paradip, are sacred to the endangered Pauri Bhuiyan, a community listed among the 75 groups in India classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
Their deity, Kanteswari Devi resides on the mountaintop – evoking a situation similar to that of bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri Hills, where Dongria Kondhs claim to have been worshipping their mountain god Niyam Raja since time immemorial.
In January this year, the Ministry of Environment discarded the UK firm’s bauxite mining proposal to feed its Rs 5,000 core Lanjigarh refinery, as all the twelve Gram Sabhas unanimously echoed a similar stance and outrightly rejected Vedanta’s ambitious plan.
“In both the cases the core issue is ore extraction. Since in Vedanta’s case the Ministry’s decision is wide and clear to respect the forest rights of the tribals, it must be applied in-principle to all similar cases. Are the primitive tribal groups residing in Niyamgiri hills different from those in Khandadhar,” asked Ranjan Panda, environmentalist and convenor of Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO).
If the Centre was forced to bow before the 8000-odd Dongria Kondhs and a few hundred Kutia Kondhs and other forest-dwellers living in the Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts, it is certain the government is not going to win the hearts of the Bhuyians residing in the Khandadhar region, Panda opined.
Other than this, the wildlife and biodiversity importance of the Khandadhar hills, the existence of an important elephant corridor in the region, will be crucial aspects to deal with when Posco’s mining proposal in Khandadhar is considered.
“Pauri Bhuiyans resettled in the plains face a cultural collapse as well as acute scarcity of water. The villagers too fight to save the bio-rich reserve.If the Centre allows the state government to grant prospecting license (PL) over Khandadhar iron ore mines in favour of Posco, it certainly would fuel the local resentment protesting mining in the region,” senior BJP leader and former union minister Jual Oram, who contested for the Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) seat in the recently concluded elections, said.
The state government has recommended the Centre about granting Posco mining rights in over 2,500 hectare in Khandadhar hills which has an estimated 200 million tonnes of iron ore reserve.
Though the state is yet to get a green signal about it, a Niyamgiri-like situation is imminent if it sticks to the reserve for the foreign company, environmentalists feel.
“The South Korean company has been shown undue favour by the ruling BJD Government which allowed the steel giant to grab iron ore reserve at a throw away price. Such lucrative offer has the potential to attract a host of bonafide Indian entrepreneurs. If the government claims to bear pro-industry approach, why it has deterred from going for a competitive bidding for Khandadhar,” asked Prafulla Samantara, an environment activist who is spearheading Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti in Dhinkia village of Jagatsinghpur district.
“At no cost, iron ore mining would be allowed in Khandadhar as local tribals are emotionally and religiously attached to it,” Khandadhar Suraksha Samiti convenor Luthar Oram said adding, Posco should be ousted from Odisha for the larger interest of the State and nation.
