The Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling on rights of Adivasi communities while deciding on Vedanta’s demand for development of bauxite mine in Odisha is a recognition of indigenous rights in India, says Amnesty International.
It was reacting to the decision of the court which observed that the “indigenous” (adivasi) communities will have a say on plans for a bauxite mine by a subsidiary of UK-based Vedanta Resources in the Niyamgiri hills of the state.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court had directed that clearance to the venture would be subject to the Gram Sabhas deciding the cultural and religious claims of the tribes and forest dwellers of Rayagada and Kalahandi districts.
“The Dongria Kondh community, whose identity is fully dependent on these hills, has been fighting for the survival of their way of life for a decade”.
“The mine would have resulted in violation of their rights as Indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to water, food, health and work amongst others. This ruling is hugely important for the Dongria Kondh,” said G Ananthapadmanabhan, Chief Executive of Amnesty International India.
*
SC ruling, Vedanta case, recognition, indigenous rights, Adivasi communities, bauxite mine, Odisha, G Ananthapadmanabhan
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.