By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 3, 2015 :  Vedanta is heading for yet another turbulent phase with tribals now asking the Company to close its one million ton alumina refinery plant at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district in Odisha.

The London-listed mining giant also faced protests from human rights groups at its annual general meeting (AGM) at London and protests were planned in parallel with worldwide protests in Hyderabad, Udaipur and Korba in India and in the Zambian capital of Lusaka as part of “Global Days of Action against Vedanta”.

Around 2000 tribals under the banner of Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti (Rayagada-Kalahandi) [NSS] held a rally on Monday in Munigua, a small town demanding closure of the plant for pollution and violating their human rights among other things.

The NSS members presented a memorandum addressed to the Governor SC Jamir to the local Block Development Officer (BDO) Rajeev Kumar Behera demanding de-commissioning of Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery project.

The refinery is causing noise, dust, ash, toxic gas, water, air pollution. Besides, it is causing harm to birds, agriculture, vegetation and the local populace, the memorandum pointed out.

Further, it said, “To ensure healthy tradition, environment and self-sufficiency so as to lead a dignified life, the Vedanta refinery needs to be locked up. The remaining area including the Bhudan land should be distributed among the landless poor tribals of the region”.

The memorandum said, “They are all fed up and terrified by the atrocities of the anti-social officials, corrupt administrative officers, greedy middlemen, politicians and the inhuman security personnel”.

The Company has already invested in excess of Rs 50,000 crore in its refinery, 1.24 million ton per annum smelter plant,1315 MW capacity Captive Power Plant and 2400 MW power plant at Jharsuguda in Western Odisha.

Regulatory hurdles, lack of access to raw material – bauxite and alumina and land acquisition problems have forced the Company to run its refinery and smelter plants in the state at one fourth of its capacities, company sources said.