Orissa to examine rejection of Vedanta clearance
By IANSTuesday, August 24, 2010
BHUBANESWAR - Expressing his surprise over the union environment ministry’s rejection of London-listed Vedanta’s bauxite mining project in the Niyamgiri hills, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday said his government will examine the decision and take appropriate action.
“We will certainly examine what this order is and appropriate action will be taken,” Patnaik told reporters here.
Earlier in the day, state Steel and Mines Minister Raghunath Mohanty had protested the union environment ministry’s decision.
“It is unfortunate that the environment clearance was rejected. We have not received any communication from the (union environment) ministry yet,” Mohanty told IANS.
“Once we receive the communication, we will examine it and take appropriate action. The state government has not done anything wrong. The stage one clearance was given by the environment and forest department after the Supreme Court cleared it,” he said.
“Now when there has been a lot of progress on the project, the latest move of the ministry is likely to affect the industrialisation, not only in Orissa but in the whole country,” he added.
The reactions of Patnaik and Mohanty came after Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh Tuesday formally rejected Vedanta’s bauxite mining project in Niyamgiri hills in Lanjigarh, Kalahandi district.
