2 NOV, 2012, NAGESHWAR PATNAIK, ET BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR: The chairman of London-headquartered Vedanta Resources, Anil Agarwal, on Wednesday, met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and sought his intervention for supply of bauxite to the Lanjigarh alumina refinery in Kalahandi district.
"Bauxite is like oxygen to us. We have invested Rs 10,000 crore in Odisha to set up a refinery, smelter and power plants. Money has come from overseas investors. Our global operations have been hit due to the problems faced by the Lanjigarh refinery and Jharsuguda aluminium smelter. The chief minister has assured me to take up the bauxite supply issue on a priority basis," Agarwal said after his meeting with Patnaik.
Agarwal made it clear that if operations in Odisha got hit due to the lack of bauxite supply, some 7,000 people, mostly locals, will be affected. "We have also approached the National Aluminium Co for supply of alumina to run our Jharsuguda smelter offering it a good price," he added, but did not disclose the price offered. Vedanta was assured of bauxite supply from Niyamgiri mines, which ran into a problem due to opposition from locals. The Union ministry of environment and forests had withdrawn permission to Odisha Mining Corp for mining at Niyamgiri. OMC had a pact with Vedanta to mine from Niyamgiri.
Pending Niyamgiri, Agarwal hopes that the state government will consider the alternative bauxite mining proposal suggested by the company. The company has applied for other bauxite deposits at Siadimal, Badamaribhata, Kutumal-Kashmir and Kutamal in Rayagada district and Rampur in Kalahandi district and the applications are pending for disposal.
BHUBANESWAR: The chairman of London-headquartered Vedanta Resources, Anil Agarwal, on Wednesday, met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and sought his intervention for supply of bauxite to the Lanjigarh alumina refinery in Kalahandi district.
"Bauxite is like oxygen to us. We have invested Rs 10,000 crore in Odisha to set up a refinery, smelter and power plants. Money has come from overseas investors. Our global operations have been hit due to the problems faced by the Lanjigarh refinery and Jharsuguda aluminium smelter. The chief minister has assured me to take up the bauxite supply issue on a priority basis," Agarwal said after his meeting with Patnaik.
Agarwal made it clear that if operations in Odisha got hit due to the lack of bauxite supply, some 7,000 people, mostly locals, will be affected. "We have also approached the National Aluminium Co for supply of alumina to run our Jharsuguda smelter offering it a good price," he added, but did not disclose the price offered. Vedanta was assured of bauxite supply from Niyamgiri mines, which ran into a problem due to opposition from locals. The Union ministry of environment and forests had withdrawn permission to Odisha Mining Corp for mining at Niyamgiri. OMC had a pact with Vedanta to mine from Niyamgiri.
Pending Niyamgiri, Agarwal hopes that the state government will consider the alternative bauxite mining proposal suggested by the company. The company has applied for other bauxite deposits at Siadimal, Badamaribhata, Kutumal-Kashmir and Kutamal in Rayagada district and Rampur in Kalahandi district and the applications are pending for disposal.
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