BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Friday announced in the Assembly that Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) will be provided laterite deposits to run its plant at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.
“The State Government has decided to provide laterite stone mines to Vedanta which requires bauxite for its refinery at Lanjigarh,” Minister of State for Steel and Mines Prafulla Kumar Mallik said while replying to a question from Chandrasekhar Majhi (Cong).
The Minister said VAL has been asked to sign an agreement with the Government to go ahead with exploration of laterite stone mines. He said the company would use technology for conversion of the mineral to bauxite for its plant. Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas.
VAL has urged the Government to provide alternative bauxite supplies and to fast track its applications for three small laterite deposits in Koraput district for mining lease. The company requires alternative raw material supplies after being denied permission to mine bauxite atop the ecologically sensitive Niyamgiri hills by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
The company is running its one million tonne refinery at Lanjigarh by sourcing bauxite from States like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
VAL has also submitted 33 applications for alternative bauxite mines which are pending at different stages of approvals. These includes Karlapat (south), Sasbahumali, Gandhamardhan and Ghusramali.
Mining Move
■ VAL has urged the Govt to fast track its applications for 3 small laterite deposits in Koraput for mining lease
■ The company requires alternate raw material supplies after being denied permission to mine bauxite atop Niyamgiri hills
■ VAL has submitted 33 applications for alternative bauxite mines which are pending at different stages of approvals