JEYPORE: The palli sabha convened in connection with the proposed Pottangi bauxite mining could not be held on Wednesday as people of nine villages in the block skipped the meeting as a mark of protest.
Koraput Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) officials had issued notification to nine villages for simultaneous conduct of the meeting in connection with diversion of forest land to non-forest land meant for Nalco bauxite mines under Forestland Rights Act 2006.
Sources said, not a single person from the concerned villages of Malkarabanda, Sipaiput, Erasantagurda, Katraguda, Pottangi, Sisaguda, Madamgandhi, Thuria and Karnajaguda turned up for the meeting called by block and panchayat level officials. Reluctant to diversify forestland, some villagers of Sisaguda even shouted slogans in protest against bauxite mining as it would affect their livelihood and impact agriculture in the area.
However, apprehending law and order situation, security arrangement was put in place. Leaders of Serubandh Surakhya Samiti were detained to avert any untoward situation.
ADM Deben Pradhan, Sub Collector Lalit Kuanar, Additional SP Utkal Ranjan Dash and Sunabeda SDPO Manoj Behera were monitoring the situation.
The government of India had granted the approval of the Pottangi bauxite mining project in 2016 with a plan to invest about Rs 5,600 crore with a target exploration of 22,75,000 MT bauxite in the next 50 years.
NALCO has already taken up 31 development projects that would be executed in the area under corporate social responsibility at an expenditure of Rs 12 crore.