The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Setback to opponents of Jindal aluminium refinery

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 25, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Setback to opponents of Jindal aluminium refinery

Santosh Patnaik

Clearance comes, protest at public hearing notwithstanding

VISAKHAPATNAM: The anti-mining protesters received another setback with the Ministry of Environment and Forests giving green signal for the alumina refinery proposed by JSW Aluminium Limited in S.Kota mandal of Vizianagaram.

MoEF decision came close on the heels of the Ministry of Mines clearance for mining of bauxite by the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation in Jerrila hill range on an area of 1649 hectares in the scheduled areas of Visakhapatnam for supply of raw material to another alumina refinery proposed by Ras Al-Khaimah in Makavarapalem mandal.

The environmental clearance by MoEF came brushing aside strong protests at the public hearing held on June 6 where the then Vizianagaram Joint Collector M. Jaganmohan in his minutes stated that 96 per cent of people who attended the hearing had expressed their opposition.

The refinery was first proposed at Sabbavaram and a public hearing was also conducted in the city but later the Jindal company opted to change the location finding the price offered by the district administration for sale of land ‘very high.’

The projects by Jindal and RAK, a kingdom in the United Arab Emirates, will involve an investment of Rs.20,000 crores.

The State signed agreements with them with a promise to give land and supply bauxite ore through the APMDC. ium Ltd.

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