Churches hail halting of permission for Vedanta's Mining

(Sept.08,2010) Churches in India have welcomed the decision of the government, to withdraw its permission for a mining project of the Vedanta group in the remote tribal areas of eastern Orissa state that stirred controversy. "The decision of the Ministry of Forests and Environment is an achievement and a fruit of the peoples' struggle. It is proof that the peoples' movement and struggle is still powerful," the National Council of Churches in India,(NCCI) said in a statement. Vedanta's mining project in the Niyamgiri Hills had drawn criticism from environmentalists and human rights activists. They said it was destroying the area's ecosystem and would have wiped out the Khond tribal’s sacred mountains, while displacing thousands of other people.
The message from the national body for 30 Orthodox and Protestant churches followed the 24 August announcement by Jairam Ramesh, the federal minister for forests and environment, that the government has withdrawn permission for the mining project of London-based Vedanta Resources. Congratulating the tribal people and others who struggled for their lives, the NCCI statement, "commended the solidarity and support of the organizations, movements and well meaning people both in India and outside".
The Anglican Church of England in February, disinvested its 3.6 million British pounds from Vedanta because of concerns about the company's approach to relations with communities where it operates. This followed advice it got from its ethical adviser, who sent an investigator to visit the proposed site of the mining company's open-cast bauxite mine and its existing refinery in Orissa.