[Reader-list] Fwd: URGENT:Public Meeting on Anti-Vedanta struggle-19th November

[sridevi panikkar]

*Meeting with the Dongaria Kondhs from Niyamgiri, Orissa*

*on Bauxite mining by Vedanta Alumina Ltd.*

*19 November, 3 p.m,*

*Indian Social Institute (ISI),Lodhi Road, New Delhi*


**

Dear Friends

The rich habitat of Niyamgiri mountain and its adjoining area in Orissa,
with around 3 lakh population and hundreds of villages, faces the danger of
bauxite mining operations by Vedanta Alumina Ltd, a UK-based mining company.
For generations, this mountain has been protected by the primitive *Dongria
Kondh *tribes, for whom it is the sacred mountain of "Niyam Raja"—is central
to their life and culture.

After 3.5 years of deliberations at various courts and
Government-commissioned studies showing the detrimental effects of mining,
it seems that the Supreme Court is all set to grant mining rights to Vedanta
to mine bauxite from the Niyamgiri mountain in southwestern Orissa.

On 26 October 2007, the Forest Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief
Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice Arjit Passayat and Justice S H Kapadia
took the decisive step of 'reserving for judgement' the case of
Vedanta/Orissa Mining Corporation to mine bauxite on the Niyamgiri mountain.
The lawyer representing the tribals was snapped at by one of the judges and
was not even given a chance to present the 200-page objection to the
Vedanta's mining report.

This happens as the Norwegian Government has decided to withdraw its stake
in Vedanta on the grounds of grave environmental damage and human rights
violation; the same charges that Vedanta is facing in the Supreme Court.

Also important is the first-time public revelation by Hon'ble Justice S.H.
Kapadia in the court that he is a share-owner and hence a stake-holder in
the Sterling India Private Limited, a sister concern and operations head for
Vedanta Alumina Limited in India. In such circumstances, it is only natural
that the Hon'ble judge should have recused himself from hearing the case.

The mining clearance if granted will amount to a complete destruction of the
rich biodiversity of the area and of an entire culture and a way of life. It
will also have extremely grave wider implications. It will open the
floodgates for several mining projects to be allowed on Adivasi lands in the
region and elsewhere. It will also reinforce the view that entire
communities can be sacrificed for projects whose gains for the people at
large will be slight or even non-existent.

*Following the adverse hearing in the Supreme Court, a group of Dongria
Konds from southwestern Orissa, representing thousands of other people in
the area, have come to Delhi* to meet the President of India, MPs, MLAs, to
press their case that destructive mining not be allowed in the area.

We have organized a meeting with the delegation from Orissa as well as
Prafulla Samantara, Praful Bidwai, Mahesh Rangarajan, Manoranjan Mohanty
among others.

*It is crucial for all of us to attend this meeting and widely circulate
this invite.*

*Date: Monday, November 19, 2007
Time: 3 pm onwards
Venue: Indian Social Institute, 10 Institutional Area, **near Saibaba Mandir
**Lodhi Road*

Looking forward to your presence and active participation.

In solidarity,

Mamata Dash, Vijayan MJ, Ranjana Padhi, D Manjit, Sridevi Panikar, Souparno
Lahiri, Shree Prakash  and other friends from Kashipur Solidarity Group and
Delhi Solidarity Group



-- 
"There ís something standing in a crowd
Something which queries that.
Why should it query that?
What cheek to query that!
The State just shoots-for that ís allowed-
And something falls down flat.
What was it that fell down flat?
What made it fall like that?"

-Bertolt Brecht