Vedanta Aluminium has halted its expansion programme at the alumina refinery at Lanjigarh, in Orissa, after the government issued a notification making it mandatory for companies to seek environment clearance for any major change in processes. On August 24, the Central government said that Vedanta Aluminium had not sought prior approval for expanding the refinery capacity to 6 million tonnes from 1 million tonnes. Another government decision that day, announced...

The Ministry of Environment and Forest’s decision to stall the Vedanta project in Orissa must be understood. The ‘story’ is about a powerful company breaking the law. But it is equally about a development puzzle in which the richest lands of India are where the poorest people subsist. The N.C. Saxena committee has indicted the mining conglomerate on three counts of breaking the environmental laws. One, it took over and...

India has rejected controversial plans by mining group Vedanta to extract bauxite in the eastern state of Orissa. The project had breached environmental protection acts and raised concerns for the rights of local tribes, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said. Vedanta's other ventures in Orissa were being investigated separately, he said. The company has yet to comment on the decision. It says it will bring jobs to the area - tribespeople say the plans...

The Government has asked the Meena Gupta panel to submit its report on POSCO's steel plant in Orissa by the end of September, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Tuesday. He also added that it is unfair to compare Vedanta's Niyamgiri bauxite mining project with POSCO's Rs540bn integrated steel plant. According to the minister, no tribal rights issue is involved in the POSCO project. “The POSCO project involves issues of other forest...

Soon after stalling Vedanta's proposed bauxite mining project in Orissa, the Environment Ministry today said the licence granted to mining firms supplying the mineral to its alumina refinery is under scanner. "It appears that project proponent (Vedanta) is sourcing bauxite from a large number of mines in Jharkhand for the one million tonne alumina refinery (in Lanjigarh) that are not in possession of valid Environmental Clearance. "This matter is being...