Bauxite mining: D. Raja seeks scrutiny

 NEW DELHI: Communist Party of India national secretary D. Raja has sought parliamentary scrutiny into the recent environmental clearance granted to Vedanta Resources for bauxite mining in Orissa, at the “expense of tribal people, farmers and ecology of the Eastern Ghats.”

In a letter to the Prime Minister, who holds charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and V. Maitreyan, chairperson of the Standing Committee on Environment and Forests, Mr. Raja expressed deep concern over the manner in which the Ministry dealt with the case relating to setting up an aluminium refinery and bauxite mining in Lanjigarh.

Mining operation would severely damage the environment, the lives of the local tribals and the water sources of the surrounding areas and the entire Eastern Ghats, Mr. Raja said. Mr. Raja, who is also a a member of the Standing Committee, said the matter, with its potentially devastating impact, should be discussed before the project was allowed to proceed.