SC asks State to furnish detail report on Niyamgiri mining

--Next hearing on January 11

BHUBANESWAR: A special bench of the Supreme Court after hearing the Lanjigarh’s Niyamgiri mining case on Thursday directed the State and the Central Government to furnish detailed report on the issue. The hearing of the apex court is not completed and next hearing of the case would be conducted on January 11.

It may be noted that the apex court had given permission to the Sterlite India Company of the Vedanta group for the diversion of 660.749 hectares of forest land at Niyamgiri in Lanjigarh of Kalahandi district in 2008, but later the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) had refused to give stage-II forest clearance for mining bauxite in August 24, 2010 from the Niyamgiri hills following the allegations against the company for allegedly violating the Forest Rights Act in that area.

Then a suit was filed by Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) when the MoEF withdrew the forest clearance. After Vedanta closed its Lanjigarh aluminum refinery on Wednesday due to acute shortage of bauxite, all eyes are now on the apex court which would hear the petition against the MoEF.

Mediator’s son begins hunger strike in jail

PARLAKHEMUNDI/BRAHMAPUR: Maoist interlocutor Dandapani Mohanty’s son Sangram Mohanty on Thursday began hunger strike in R Udaygiri sub jail in Gajapati district protesting his arrest by the police. On the other hand, Dandapani alleged that the State Government intentionally attacked his family and created conspiracy against him.

After arresting Sangram, the police forwarded him to the R Udaygiri JMFC court where his bail plea rejected and he was sent to the sub jail. From the first day in the jail, Sangram began fasting demanding his unconditional release from the jail. “If the Government does not release me unconditionally from the jail, I will die here without taking food,” he threatened.

On the other hand, Dandapani said that the police were telling lie and it was the well-coordinated conspiracy against him and his family to suppress his voice against the police brutality. He also said that the police arrested his son in the direction of some top leaders of the State as Sangram had talked to Pyarimohan Mohapatra to work in Sorada area of Ganjam district which fumed the leaders to take action against his son by using police.  

Dandapani said the police arrested his innocent son as a part of Nachika and Sabyasachi’s murder game plan. “My son is innocent, the Government should release him unconditionally,” he appealed.

Sangram and his associate Kailash Mondal were arrested under Sections 120(B), 121, 121 (A), 124(A) and 163 (B) of the IPC, various sections of the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities Act.           

State begs for a month to reply Court notice on BRPL

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government, upon whom Court notice was served has prayed for another four weeks before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for filing up its reply on water allocation of the Baitarani river to Brahmani River Pellets Limited (BRPL) company, as informed by the legal representative on behalf of the petitioner against the BRPL at the NGT Bibhu Tripathy.

It may be noted that BRPL, a sister wing of the giant oversea company the Stemcor, plans to transport iron ore from Joda-Barbil mines belt to its Pellet plant at Kalinga Nagar through slurry pipes for which huge quantity of water is required for pushing the ore through pipe line. Farmers across more than five districts as Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak and Balasore were seen to stand on their heels when the State Government allocated water from the river Baitarani to BRPL.

Annoyed with the doubted Government callousness, convener of the ‘Baitarani Bachao Andolan’ and BJP’s State unit general secretary Murali Sharma had filed a petition at the NGT praying for stopping of the company’s activities. On November 20 this year, the NGT passed an interim stay order not to use the river water. Court also issued notices to the State and the Centre and begged for answer in this regard. But the BRPL seems to be adamant not to go by the NGT’s ruling as the company is busy cutting forests and laying slurry pipe lines for transporting of ore despite the interim stay order of the later.

It is learnt that the BRPL has filed a petition to vacate the stay order which is yet to be considered by the bench. Sources suggest that the forest clearance, obtained by the company has already been expired in last month. Yet the company is daring to cut forests in Koida area of Keonhar. Even, today, the BRPL workers were seen speeding up their activities. “It is a blatant contempt of Court’s directive,” said a local youth activist Deba Prasad Mishra.

“The multi-national company has made the law of our land a laughing stock. Justice AS Naidu had bestowed a ray of hope on farmers like us which is being dishonored by the foreign company. It is embarrassing,” lamented another farmer leader of Anandpur area.

Maoist mediator’s son held for arms supply to ultras

PARLAKHEMUNDI/BRAHMAPUR: Maoist interlocutor and Jan Adhikar Manch convener Dandapani Mohanty’s son Sangram Mohanty was arrested by the police on Wednesday for supplying arms to the Maoists, while Dandapani lodged an FIR at a police station in Brahmapur complaining that the police have intentionally kidnapped his innocent son to harass his family.

According to the police, they arrested Sangram and his friend Kailash Mondal from Kamalapur Chak under Mohana block in Gajapati district suspecting them Maoist supporters and then recovered two pistols, 95 bullets, Maoist literature, black Yamaha RX 100 motorcycle and Rs 16, 000 net cash from their possession.

The two were arrested under the sections of the IPC, the Arms Act, the Criminal Amendment Act and the Unlawful Activities Act. The police were tightlipped about the whereabouts of the duo fearing any disturbance in their process of interrogation.

To get some important information about some Maoists leaders hiding in the jungles, sources said, the police might have arrested the duo as the combing operation is still on in the tri-junction area of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal district from the day of the Bhaliaguda encounter.

On the other hand, Sangram’s father lodged a complaint at Baidyanathpur police station in Brahmapur alleging that his son was kidnapped by the police from the city outskirts. “Southern Range DIG along with Ganjam SP and Gajapati SP are planning to smash my family and my son’s arrest was a part of that plan,” said Dandapani to the Mediapersons.

Dandapani said the SOG and DVF personnel have kidnapped his son from Payal cinema hall in Brahmapur city when he was returning with his Yamaha motorcycle from a garage. “The allegation of the police is baseless, false and pre-planned to harass his family,” he clarified.

Vedanta shuts down its Lanjigarh refinery plant

--Labour Dept asks detail report on company’s present status

BHUBANESWAR: The Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) on Wednesday shut down its one-million-tonne-per-annum alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district due to acute shortage of bauxite for the plant as per its three-month closure notice issued on September 5.  

The company on Wednesday morning started the closure process with the stoppage of production in the plant. With the bauxite stock depleting to almost ‘zero level’, the company is left with no other alternative but to close the refinery, whose closure is expected to affect around 7,000 people engaged directly or indirectly with the plant, said a press release issued by the company.

On the other hand, the Department of Labour has asked to the Kalahandi district labour officer and Assistant Labour Commissioner to submit a detailed report on the present status of the company. “We have asked the prima facie report regarding the present status of the company and will take appropriate action after getting the report,” said Deputy Labour Commissioner Narendra Kumar Samantray.

Trade Unions to hold civil disobedience movement on Dec 18

BHUBANESWAR: All the national-level trade unions would hold civil disobedience movement across the country on December 18 demanding social security for the labourers, implementation of labour law, controlling of price hike and minimum wage for labourers, declared the leaders of the State units of the trade unions in a convention here on Tuesday.

Leaders of the trade unions including BMS, INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AITUC, AICCTU and employees federation condemned the anti-people policy of the Government. They took the decision to call two-day Bharat bandh on February 20 and 21 and civil disobedience movement on December 18.

“If the Government does not fulfill their 10-point charter of demands, they would call two-day Bharat bandh,” said trade union leader Souribandhu Kar of AITUC. Among others, Shibaji Patnaik of CITU, Mahendra Parida of AICCTU, Prafulla Tripathy of Bank Unions, Kishore Jena of INTUC and communist leader N Narayan Reddy were present.           

OHRC directs State Govt to compensate two different victims

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on Tuesday directed the principal secretaries of the Home Department and the School and Mass Education Department of the State to give Rs 1 lakh each as compensation amount to two different victims of human rights’ violation.

Following the hearing of two different cases regarding the murder of Bharati Hansda of Gandamia village under Kankadahada block in Dhenkanal district and death of a fifth-standard girl student Swarnalata Rout of a primary school in Jajpur district, the Commission has given the direction, said the OHRC sources.

It may be noted that Rout died due to school beam collapsed, while Hansda was murdered by the villagers suspecting her as witch.