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Factors for cancellation:

y Water- air pollutiony Violation of Forest Right Act, Forest Conservation Act, PESA Act, the environment pollution

norms

y Effect on local tribesVedanta's Alumina Refinery in Lanjigarh was critiqued by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (the

statutory environmental regulation body) for air pollution and water pollution in the area. According to

Amnesty International, local people reported dust from the plant settling on clothes, crops and food.

The London-based Vedanta Resources plan to set up the worlds largest alumina refinery in Orissa on

August 16 suffered a severe setback with the Saxena Committee recommending cancellation of the

forest clearance to the Niyamgiri mines. The Saxena Committee castigated Vedanta Resources and also

the Orissa government for the violation of the Forest Conservation Act as well as the Forest Right Act.

The Saxena Committee, has recommended that the Stage-I forest clearance accorded to the Niyamgiri

bauxite mines be withdrawn immediately.

It was following allegations of illegal activities in the Niyamgiri mines by Vedanta Resources that the

Union ministry for environment and forest (MoEF) had sent a four member team under the leadership

of NC Saxena in July. The committee members extensively toured the Niyamgiri forest areas spread over

Kalahandi and Rayagara districts and interacted with the primitive Dongaria tribals besides the various

civil society fighting for the implementation of Forest Right Act and Conservation of Forest Act.

Stating that there were gross violations in implementation of the Forest Right Act, Forest Conservation

Act, PESA Act, the environment pollution norms, and also the Supreme Courts directives, the

committee has observed, This Committee is of the firm view that allowing mining in the proposedmining lease area by depriving two Primitive Tribal Groups of their rights over the proposed mining site

in order to benefit a private company would shake the faith of tribal people in the laws of the land. Since

the company in question has repeatedly violated the law, allowing it further access to the proposed

mining lease area at the cost of the rights of the Kutia and Dongaria Kondh, will have serious

consequences for the security and well being of the entire country.

The committee has said that the state government has produced false certificates to claim that the

Forest Right Act has been implemented in the proposed mines areas. The government officials have also

closed their eyes to the use of forest land and village forest land by the company in violation of the

Forest Conservation Act, the committee said.

In October 2009 it was reported that the British Government has criticised Vedanta for its treatment of

the Dongria Kondh tribe in Orissa, India. The company refused to co-operate with the British

Government and with an OECD investigation. They have rejected charges of environmental damage,

saying it may be related to the increased use of fertiliser by farmers.

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An environmental impact assessment by the government found dust pollution was within acceptable

limits. Vedanta officials claimed there was no dust pollution from the plant at all. An environmental

inspection of the plant reported water and air pollution by the plant.

Therefore..