KORAPUT | Dec 21, 2015: Over 2,000 tribals brought out a rally at Potangi on Saturday to demonstrate against the bauxite mining proposal by Nalco at Serubandha hill in the disrict.
The demonstrators, under the banner of Serubandha Surakhya Samiti, vowed "not to give an inch" of the hill for mining purposes.
"About 6,000 people living in at least 44 villages under six panchayats will lose their means of living if mining at Serubandha is done. The place has innumerable sources of water. Mining activities will have a massive adverse impact on the tribals," said Bhagaban Golari, presient of the Samiti.
"We will step up our agitation if the government does not care to understand our concerns and problems," he added.
Sources said the state government has planned to lease out 1,700 hectares of Serubandha hill with an estimated deposit of 69.03 tonnes of bauxite.
"The government has given Panchpatmali hills, adjacent to Serubandha, to Nalco on an 80-year lease. There is absolutely no justification to lease out Serubandha now. If that happens, tribals' economy will suffer. Cultivation and minor forest produce, which the tribals survive on, will take a beating," Golari said.
The agitators submitted a memorandum to the local tehasildar.
The memorandum will be forwarded to the authorities for necessary action, said Saroj Kumar Biswal, tehasildar, Pottangi.
Traders shut down shops and markets at Pottangi on Saturday to express solidarity with the tribals.
Officials said Serubandha hill is approximately 30 km southeast of Nalco's refinery at Damanjodi and 50 km south-east of Nalco's operational mine in the district at Panchpatmali, the worlds largest single site bauxite deposit (310 million tonnes) in the world.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)