The company’s statement comes after the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) rejected the stage-II forest clearance for the Niyamgiri bauxite mining project and slapped a showcause notice on Vedanta’s alumina refinery at Lanjigarh
"There is no possibility of a pull out by VAL from Orissa. We are committed to our refinery project. Orissa has around 2bnt of bauxite reserves which is higher than the bauxite deposits of any other state in the country.
“There is no question of VAL relocating its alumina refinery as we believe that the aluminium industry can flourish only in Orissa,” Mukesh Kumar, COO of VAL said in response to a query on whether the company was contemplating a pull out from Orissa.
In the aftermath of the rejection of stage-II forest clearance for bauxite mining at Niyamgiri hills, VAL had sought alternative bauxite mines.
Out of seven alternative bauxite mines sought by Vedanta, five were in Rayagada district with the remaining two in Kalahandi district.
The five mines targeted by VAL in Rayagad district are Sarambai, Malipada & Kutamal spread over 177.694 hectares; Siadimal spread over 4.95 hectares; Badamaribhata on 4.89 hectares; Kutamal and Kashipur spread over 4.966 hectares and Kutamal on 4.98 hectares.