India Matters: Battle for Niyamgiri
The 12 tribal villages of Niyamgiri in Odisha have rejected a referendum ordered by the Supreme Court on mining giant Vedanta. Under this, the Odisha government was asked to organise voting by the inhabitants of the bauxite rich region to decide Vedanta's fate. The state government will now find it difficult to ignore the verdict of the people. To keep the Rs 50,000 crore investment in Odisha, the government is now considering providing Vedanta bauxite - the raw material used to make aluminium - from alternative sites. But they have a bigger concern: Will the Niyamgiri chapter set a precedent for mining in other areas? NDTV's Anchal Vohra travels to the Niyamgiri range to meet the tribals, visit Vedanta's refinery and speak to the leaders of the ruling party to file an in-depth report.
