BHUBANESWAR | Feb 08, 2015: Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Saturday reiterated his stand that no iron ore mining should be allowed in the ecologically sensitive waterfall area around Khandadhar iron ore reserve in Odisha.
Talking to The Hindu over phone, Mr. Oram said that mining activity may be permitted in the region but without causing any harm to the Khandadhar waterfall in order to protect the ecology and environment of the region.
Mr. Oram’s stand assumes significance at a time when the Odisha Government is expecting the Centre to accept its recommendation for grant of prospecting licence for Khandadhar reserve in favour of steel giant POSCO, since the hill range lies in his own constituency.
A day after Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar made a statement in Kolkata that POSCO too must participate in bidding in order to get mining lease, Odisha Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick had on Friday expressed his displeasure saying that commitments should be honoured to avoid sending a wrong signal to international investor community.
As the recommendation in favour of POSCO was made much before the Centre’s ordinance on auction of non-coal mines, the Centre should spare POSCO from the bidding process, Mr. Mallick had said. Mr. Oram, however, said that any company desiring to obtain mining lease should participate in bidding if any iron ore reserve is put to auction in the future.
Meanwhile, the Khandadhar Suraksha Sangram Samiti, an organisation of the tribals opposing mining in the Khandadhar hill range, has announced to intensify its ongoing agitation further to oppose any move to hand over the hill range to any company, including POSCO.
(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)