Seeking to steer clear of the controversial Niyamgiri mining project, Vedanta Group chief, Anil Agarwal today asked the Odisha government to immediately provide bauxite for running the company’s alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.

“I don’t want to get into any controversy. I may not be interested for Niyamgiri project. Why should I come into the picture? The government has promised us bauxite. Give us where ever it is possible to run the refinery,” Agarwal said after meeting the Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.

Agarwal made it clear that Vedanta had nothing to do with the proposed mining at Niyamgiri hills. As the state government had committed to supply bauxite, it could be availed from anywhere in Odisha which has the third largest reserve of bauxite.

“Therefore, there is no point in sticking to the Niyamgiri mining project,” he said.

The proposed mining at Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi through a joint venture involving Odisha Mining Corporation and VAL could not take off due to rejection of environmental clearance by the Forest and Environment Ministry.

Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), which set up a 1 mtpa refinery at an initial investment of Rs 5,000 crore, has been facing acute shortage of bauxite and served notice to the state government to shut down the project from December 5.

“The Chief Minister has assured me to do something on a priority basis. Though I am very optimistic about running of the project at Lanjigarh, people do not accept it,” Agarwal said adding the entire world’s attention was focussed on Niyamgiri project as a number of foreign investors have put their money in it.

To a query Agarwal said, “We do not want to close the refinery at Lanjigarh. But, if we don’t get bauxite, we may be compelled to close it. You know bauxite is like oxygen for the alumina refinery. I believe the state government will certainly do something.”

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