Congress, BJD question Adani's land purchase in Odisha, company says it's for afforestation
Gandhamardhan hills in Odisha, the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress on Thursday demanded clarification on whether the company has any plan to go for mining in that region. The Adani Group, however, said the purpose for land acquisition is to enrich the local ecology through afforestation and there is no commercial intent.
Gandhamardan Hill Range spanning Bargarh and Balangir districts was declared as a Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS) in 2023 when the BJD was in power. BHS is an area with unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems with rich biodiversity.
«The government should speak out on the purpose of the Adani Group acquiring land near Gandhamardhan Hills, which reserves an estimated 207 million tons of bauxite. Since the state government is silent on the matter, suspicion of the people grows,» said Bolangir's BJD MLA Kalikesh Singh Deo.
He claimed that the people of two districts protested against the plans of Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO) to go for bauxite mining in Gandhamardhan Hills in the 1980s.
«People are getting prepared to launch another round of agitation if required. The state government would be responsible if there is any unpleasant situation,» he claimed.
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