New Delhi: Vedanta Resources won't abandon its mining project in the Niyamgiri Hills of the eastern Indian state of Orissa despite the Union environment ministry blocking the plan, the chief operating officer of its local aluminum unit said on Wednesday.
The federal ministry rejected clearance for the London-listed company's plan on Tuesday, saying the project had violated forest laws and its proponents displayed "blatant disregard" to the rights of tribal people in the area.
However, Vedanta's Mukesh Kumar said there was no violation of any forest or environment laws and the state government has implemented the Forest Rights Act in the area. "There is no question of abandoning this project," he told a newswire.
Kumar said Orissa Mining Corp, a body under the state government, and not Vedanta, holds the mining lease for the area. The state may legally challenge the federal ministry's decision to block the project, he added.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010, 11:10