Dantewada (Chhattisgarh): Thousands of tribals from two hundred villages in the Dantewada district have surrounded the check post and the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) since morning in protest against the mining rights given to the Adani Group.
For long tribals of Nandraj mountain of Bailadila mountain range in Dantewada have opposed giving block 13 of NMDC to the Adani group. They worship the block (Nandraj mountain) as God. The protestors have come to encircle NMDC with food boxes. Many pro-workers organizations have also expressed their support in this protest.
On September 20 last, Adani Group formed a company named 'Bailadila Iron and Mining Pvt Ltd', which will see the mining work for Adani Group in the country. In December 2018, it got mining work in the mine of Bailadila.
The Adani Group was expecting to mine 2 million tonnes-10 million tonnes per annum in block 13, where there is a possibility of around 300 million tonnes. The government gave it to the Adani group on 25 years lease.
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A similar protest was seen in Odisha, where tribes of Niyamgiri protested against Vedanta. Tribals and activists gathered at Lanjigarh village in Niyamgiri ranges to oppose the bauxite mining by the company in Niyamgiri hills in the state.
The tribals worshipped Niyamgiri hills and feared that the company will tap high-quality bauxite deposit.
The state government-owned Odisha Mining Corporation was supposed to provide the bauxite extracted from the Niyamgiri hills to the Vedanta refinery.
However, on April 18, 2013, the Supreme Court had maintained that the village councils would decide whether the state-owned mining corporation could mine the hills for the bauxite or not. After this order, all the gram sabhas had voted against the mining.
