KORAPUT: A section of tribals took oath to oppose bauxite mining at Maliparbat hill during Chaitra festival near Kankadamba village on Tuesday. The pledge was taken in front of Maulima deity in Patali cave near Maliparbat hill. Members of Maliparbat Surakhya Samiti (MSS) and Koraputia Jana Surakhya Manch (KJSM) were present.
Sources said thousands of tribals including women from across Koraput and Rayagada districts gathered at Maliparbat hill to celebrate Chaitra festival. They performed traditional rituals of the deity praying to restore peace in the region amid the tension over bauxite mining in Maliparbat. The festival is observed by Kondh, Paraja and Gadba tribes.
President of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh Nachika Linga also joined the festival and performed puja. Linga could not attend the festival for the last seven years due to his imprisonment and the Covid-19 pandemic. Urging the State government to allow tribals to live peacefully with nature, he said, “We love the trees, soil, springs, flora and fauna and want to live in harmony with our customs and traditions. The tribals are not seeking any wealth from the government. We want to co-exist with the nature and the resources. But the agents of the government are creating unrest in the region.”
Sources said for the last couple of months, tension is simmering in the area due to tiff between anti and pro-mining people. The government has granted lease to Hindalco company to mine bauxite from Maliparbat hill which holds spiritual, cultural and livelihood importance for the tribals.
The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) successfully conducted a public hearing after the failure of its first meeting. However, the second public hearing is mired in uncertainty as the matter has been taken to the court. The district administration deployed four platoons of police force for the festival which passed off peacefully.