Bhubaneswar: An expert panel of the Union Environment Ministry has recommended environmental clearance for Vedanta Limited’s proposed bauxite mining project at Sijimali, located on a hilltop straddling Kalahandi and Rayagada districts in Odisha.
The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on non-coal mining recommended the grant of environmental clearance during its meeting on May 15. The recommendation comes with key conditions: “no mining activities shall be carried out in 709.72 hectares without obtaining stage-II forest clearance”, and the company must comply with court orders and judicial pronouncements on two project-related cases, one pending in the Supreme Court and another in National Green Tribunal.
Vedanta, which won the block in a March 2023 auction, plans to mine nine million tonnes of bauxite annually to partly feed its six million tonnes per annum refinery at Lanjigarh, according to the minutes of the meeting.
The project aims to extract high-grade bauxite reserves estimated at 311 million tonnes. The mine, with an estimated high-grade bauxite reserves of 311 million, spans 1,549 hectares and includes diversion of 709.72 hectares of forest land. The lease area falls in Thuamul Rampur and Kashipur tehsils, covering 18 villages in both districts.
Legal and Forest Clearance Background
The Ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee had already granted in-principle (Stage-I) forest clearance for the diversion in December 2025. A separate legal dispute involving the Sijimali block is pending in the Supreme Court, where Larsen & Toubro challenged an Orissa High Court order that had rejected its claim to the mining lease. Vedanta has been impleaded in that case. Additionally, local tribal residents have approached the National Green Tribunal challenging forest clearance for an access road linked to the project.
The project will displace 129 families — 51 from Tijimali and 78 from Malipadar villages. Official documents state that land for resettlement colonies has been identified at Kurkuti and Chandgiri.
Protests and Tribal Opposition
The environmental clearance comes against the backdrop of sustained protests by local Kandha and Paroja Scheduled Tribe communities, along with forest-dwelling Scheduled Caste groups, who are opposing the project, citing the loss of customary rights, access to minor forest produce, and sacred hilltop sites that hold cultural and religious significance.
Protests intensified last month following clearances for an access road meant for transporting bauxite. Violent clashes erupted between police and tribal villagers in Rayagada district during road construction work. The access road requires an additional 4.911 hectares of forest land, for which final clearance has been granted despite an ongoing appeal in the National Green Tribunal’s eastern zone bench.
