Centre turns guns on Lanjigarh refinery

The refinery had an annual capacity of one million tonnes. In October 2007, Vedanta sought environmental clearance for expanding the capacity six-fold. But in a brazen violation of law, it started the construction activities for the expansion project before receiving the approval. Even when Orissa State Pollution Control Board asked the company to stop work, it didn’t.

This, according to N C Saxena panel, is good enough reason for the environment ministry to shut down the refinery.

Another key violation in the smelter project was grabbing of 26.123 ha of forest land where traditionally villagers had an access. The company in collusion with the local government officials forcibly evicted the villagers to occupy the land. Also, it has illegally constructed a conveyor corridor and a road.

The ministry has now issued show cause notices to Vedanta asking why the environmental clearance for the  refinery should not be withdrawn. The expansion project too has been suspended. Following the cancellation of mining permission, the company claimed it is the responsibility of the Orissa government to source bauxite from other mines for the refinery. But at the moment, another probe is on to find out if mines currently supplying bauxite ore to the refinery have the necessary environmental clearance.

The Saxena panel and the Forest Advisory Committee of the union environment ministry have found that 11 out of 14 mines from where bauxite is currently being sourced for the Lanjigarh plant do not have the necessary environmental clearance. Most of these mines are in Jharkhand. Moreover, between 2006 and 2009, the refinery worked without adhering to pollution control norms. The refinery caused surface water and air pollution, besides contaminating ground water.