Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik on Wednesday slammed the State Government for getting the State’s industrialisation script completely wrong. The State Government has created a mess by signing a number of MoUs without going into details, including statutory clearances and raw material linkage. Now it is trying to find out ways for raw material linkage, Niranjan said.
From the beginning, tribals, mostly Dongaria Kondhs, are opposing mining of Niyamgiri hills.
For a State rich with bauxite deposits, Government had other alternatives to provide bauxite linkage to industries. Lashing out at the Government for limiting the Gram Sabhas to 12 villages, Niranjan said Dongria Kondhs of 120 villages claim traditional rights and religious rights over Niyamgiri hills.
They have rights to be heard as per the Supreme Court ruling, he said.
Denying opportunity to poor adivasis to be heard on the issue of mining on Niyamgiri hills is violation of their rights as enshrined under the Forest Rights Act, he said in a letter to Governor S C Jamir.