Hindalco today held a public hearing on bauxite extraction in Kankadamba village.

Uttam Nayak,Odishabarta

Koraput,22,Nov: Hindalco today held a public hearing on bauxite extraction in Kankadamba village under Semiliguda block amid tight security.  During the public hearing held on September 21, the meeting place was turned into a battlefield and the public hearing was not possible.  About 300 villagers from 18 villages who had come to the meeting place through the unprecedented security zone fully supported the mining proposed by Hindalco.  In support of Hindalco’s pro-mining rhetoric, the company pledged to abide by the terms of education, health, transportation, and employment of unemployed youth in the region.

Even Manoj Kumar Nayak, the company’s mining manager, has promised that the water will not be used for mining, as the villagers have demanded that the spring water coming from the hills be used only for farming.  Jagbandhu Sakia, a resident of Kankadamba, warned that if the company did not show remorse, it would continue to oppose mining.

 Today’s public hearing was attended by Rajendra Majhi, Additional District Magistrate of Koraput, and senior officials of Hindalco, including officials from The Pollution Control Board.   ।