The Dongria Kondh tribe of Niyamgiri Hills are among the best conservationists in the world. Known for the spirited defence of their forested habitat against short-sighted industrialisation, they have through millennia evolved a lifestyle that is in perfect harmony with nature. Across India, there are scores of indigenous people who …
Visual sophistry of James Cameron’s Avatar may have got it Oscars in technical categories, but many say the film’s plot was all too familiar. For the Dongria Kondh, a tribe in Orissa, the story is not merely confined to history books or 3-D movie screens. The narrative is their nightmare. …
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has confirmed mining corporation Vedanta violated forest laws and tribal rights in Orissa’s Kalahandi district. Reports uploaded on the ministry website in March said work has started in anticipation of forest clearance for mining which is a violation of the ministry guidelines. The …
The Church of England has sold its shares of Vedanta Resources saying it is not happy with the way the metal corporation treated tribals of Orissa’s Kalahandi district. The sale of shares, on February 5, worth US $5.8 million, was followed by an Amnesty International report on human rights violation …
SARJU KAUL The mining company has been criticised for "failing to respect human rights of the Dongria Kondh tribe in Orissa". : Indian mining giant Vedanta Resources, which has faced a series of high-profile divestments from high-profile organisations in Britain, is facing more pullouts over its human rights and environment …
This report submitted to MoEF on March 12, 2010 details impact of bauxite mining in Lanjigarh on tribals in the region. Accuses Vedanta Alumina for violating the forest rights act & starting work without obtaining necessary clearances.
The mine will cause irreversible damage to the ancestral home and way of life of ` thousands of the Kondh tribal people in Orissa. CELEBRITY Bianca Jagger, the ex-wife of Mick Jagger of the Rolling stones, is in the forefront to save the Niyamgiri hills in south Orissa which is …
Over 5,000 Dongria and Kondh tribals car- rying traditional arms held a massive protest rally in the Niyamgiri hills of south Orissa against the mining project of Vedanta Alumina Limited (VAL) on Sunday. With growing international support, the tribal struggle has received a major push with both, the Church of …
Priscilla Jebaraj NEW DELHI: In a blow to mining firm Vedanta, a fourth European investor has sold its multi-million pound stake in the company, citing
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International on Tuesday alleged that the government and Vedanta had failed to protect Orissa's indigenous communities from health hazards of mining. However, the mining major hit back saying these claims were based on "outdated document". In a report released on Tuesday, Amnesty alleged that the 8,000-strong …
Amnesty International has lambasted Vedanta Resources, the London-based mining company, for violating the human rights of local communities, including their right to water, food, health and work by operating a heavily polluting alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, Orissa. In a report released today, Amnesty came down heavily on the Indian authorities, …
S Kalyana Ramanathan / London February 09, 2010, 0:25 IST Survival International, a London-based NGO, has appealed to the director of the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar, James Cameron, to lend his support in fighting against London-listed mining and metals major Vedanta Resources from setting up its aluminium plant in Orissa. Survival …
NEW DELHI: They are an indigenous people struggling to defend their land against mining interests who threaten their homes, culture and sacred deity. Sounds familiar? No, they are not blue-skinned aliens and this is not the plot for the blockbuster film Avatar. Instead, it is the real life story of …
S Kalyana Ramanathan / London February 6, 2010, 0:49 IST Withdraws investment over Orissa project. Metals and mining major and Anil Agarwal-controlled Vedanta Resouces today received a moral blow to its proposed mining project in Orissa after the Church of England withdrew its investments in the company, citing ethical reasons …
Ecological status of a particular region is determined by assessing its biodiversity, prevailing conditions of the environment and their interactions with the species. Such an assessment is carried out by estimating the no. of species, their relative abundance, habitat preference of keystone species and prevailing threats to them which might …
The low, flat-topped hills of south Orissa have been home to the Dongria Kondh long before there was a country called India or a state called Orissa. The hills watched over the Kondh. The Kondh watched over the hills and worshipped them as living deities. Now these hills have been …
Akshaya Kumar Sahoo The Orissa government has constituted Lanjigarh Project Area Development Foundation, a special purpose vehicle, for the progress and development of primitive tribal communities like Kutia Kondh and Dongria Kondh RESPONDING TO the Supreme Court's directives, the Orissa government has constituted the much-awaited Lanjigarh Project Area Development Foundation …
Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) has condemned the findings of the UK National Contact Point, a UK-based government agency, which accused London-based Vedanta Resources, the parent company of VAL of overlooking the interests of the local communities in Orissa.
