After the Church of England, another British investor has decided to sell its shares worth 2.2 million pounds (Rs.159 million/$3.5 million) in the Indian-owned mining company Vedanta Resources, citing serious concerns about the company’s approach to human rights and environment in Orissa. International NGO ActionAid said that the Joseph Rowntree Trust withdrew its support to Vedanta, becoming the fourth high profile company to do so since 2007 on the same grounds.

See http://ibnlive.in.com/news/trust-sells-vedanta-shares-over-human-rights-abuse/110335-7.html?from=tn and the Trust’s press release (‘JRCT sells its Vedanta shares’) on its website, http://www.jrct.org.uk/.

Survival International applauds Rowntree decision to sell Vedanta shares over ethical concerns

Survival International welcomes the news that the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is selling its shares in Vedanta Resources due to concerns over the company’s human rights record. Two other shareholders, the Marlborough Ethical Fund and Millfield House Foundation, have also sold their shares. Survival is campaigning for all shareholders to pull out of the company, and has been lobbying the Rowntree Trust since July 2009.

See http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/5563.

London Mining Network and a number of its member groups and associates made submissions to this inquiry.

Volume 1 of the Committee’s report includes conclusions and recommendations. The cross-party Committee of both Houses of Parliament is very critical of what it sees as the UK Government’s lack of commitment to improving the human rights record of UK companies operating overseas, and the incoherence of Government policy on the matter. See http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200910/jtselect/jtrights/5/5i.pdf.

Most of the oral and written evidence submitted to the Committee is included in Volume 2 of the report
(see http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200910/jtselect/jtrights/5/5ii.pdf) though there are some omissions.

For materials related to the inquiry, including some of the individual submissions made to the Committee, see also http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/UKJointCommittee.

For comments on the Committee’s report, see http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/UKJointCommitteereport.

The role of London-listed mining companies, and mining companies raising finance in London, in human rights abuses around the world is clear from the amount of material on such companies that was submitted to the Joint Committee’s inquiry. Twenty of the eighty-seven published submissions and one of the two unpublished submissions deal wholly or partly with human rights abuses allegedly linked to mining companies with a London connection. Three of the remaining published submissions are responses by mining companies to the serious allegations made against them.

The Committee’s report notes (Volume 1, page 94, section 7): ‘Our terms of reference do not permit us to conduct a full investigation into any specific allegations against individuals and companies. However, in the light of the seriousness of many of these claims, we are persuaded that further action is necessary and we hope that our conclusions and recommendations will contribute to advancing the debate in the UK, both among parliamentarians and the wider public.’

Committee Chair, Andrew Dismore MP, said: “UK multinationals may present a compliant face at home but show quite a different approach when operating elsewhere and some have a woeful record abroad. We were most concerned about the range and seriousness of allegations both in the press and in the evidence we received, including against 18 British companies which are household names.”

In a press release dated 15 December 2009, the Committee called on the UK Government ‘to develop a strategy that clearly sets out the human rights standards which UK businesses are expected to meet. The objective should be an international agreement on business and human rights.’ The Committee called on the UK Government to continue supporting UN Special Representative Professor John Ruggie in his work on business and human rights, and noted that few UK firms meet the ‘due diligence’ standards he recommends.

The press release continued: ‘The Committee notes that the UK’s current strategy gives undue priority to voluntary initiatives, without clear guidance. Business compliance with the voluntary OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises is monitored by “National Contact Points” or NCPs. The Committee says the UK’s NCP “still falls far short” of being an effective remedial body. The Committee considers that the UK Government should clarify its policy on business and human rights both at home and overseas.’

London Mining Network draws readers’ attention particularly to the following submissions included in Volume 2 of the report.

• Holly Hill Trust, page Ev 110; deals with Rio Tinto in Ecuador; makes a number of general comments about Rio Tinto’s behaviour which are borne out in the written submissions by Dr Mika Peck and the Colombia Solidarity Campaign and also by the comments of Rio Tinto Representative Sir Brian Fall when giving oral evidence to the Joint Committee: see Volume 2 of the report, pages Ev 27-51
• Dr Mika Peck, page Ev 119; deals with Rio Tinto in Ecuador
• Colombia Solidarity Campaign, page Ev 121; deals with Rio Tinto in Colombia and the right of Indigenous Peoples to Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Vigeo, page Ev 124; deals with Anglo American and Rio Tinto and mentions also BHP Billiton
• World Development Movement, page Ev 135; deals with UK Government support for mining companies and with GCM Resources in Bangladesh
• Action Aid UK, page Ev 137; deals with Vedanta in India
• Survival International, page Ev 161; deals with Vedanta in India, Gem Diamonds in Botswana, and FPIC
• War on Want, page Ev 164; deals with Anglo American and UK Government support for mining companies
• Forest Peoples Programme and Middlesex University Business School Law Department, page Ev 174; deals with FPIC
• Working Group on Mining in the Philippines, page Ev 179; deals with BHP Billiton, Crew, Rio Tinto and Xstrata
• London Mining Network, page Ev 182; deals with Anglo American, BHP Billiton, GCM Resources, Monterrico Metals, Rio Tinto, Vedanta and Xstrata
• CAFOD and Peru Support Group, page Ev 189; deals with BHP Billiton in the Philippines, Monterrico Metals in Peru and UK Government support for mining companies, and mentions Vedanta-owned Konkola Copper in Zambia
• Harrison Grant, page Ev 193; deals with an unnamed diamond mining company registered on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and active in Sierra Leone
• Margo Drakos, Tarek Maassarani and Jenik Radon, page Ev 236; mentions South African diamond company De Beers, in which Anglo American is a major shareholder
• Latin American Mining Monitoring Programme, page Ev 257; deals with BHP Billiton and Xstrata in Peru
• Global Witness, page Ev 260; deals with Afrimex, Amalgamated Metal Corporation and Anvil Mining (a Canadian-Australian company with some British connections) and UK Government support for mining companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo; also contains recommendations for tackling abuses
• RAID, page Ev 274; deals with UK Government support for mining companies, particularly Anvil Mining in DRC, and the role of AIM; also contains recommendations for tackling abuses
• Leigh Day and Co, page Ev 293; mentions Afrimex and Rio Tinto
• Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, page Ev 297; mentions Anglo American, GCM Resources, Metals Exploration, Rio Tinto and Vedanta
• Amalgamated Metal Corporation, page Ev 323; response to allegations
• BHP Billiton, page Ev 325; response to allegations; as usual with BHP Billiton, it claims that the allegations contain ‘errors’ without specifying what they are, and that some of the claims are ‘out of date’, without specifying which ones
• GCM Resources, page Ev 342; response to allegations

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/12/vedanta-versus-the-villagers.

Government criticises mining company’s treatment of local tribe

• Vedanta ‘did not respect the rights’ of local indigenous people
• Charity Survival International raised alarm over scheme

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/12/government-criticises-mining-company-vedanta.

Vedanta Resources – India’s largest copper mining firm

Profile of the company and the man in charge, billionaire Anil Agarwal

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/12/vedanta-resources-anil-agarwal.

Concerns raised at the Vedanta plc AGM, Monday 27 July 2009

The following is a summarised version of notes taken at Vedanta’s annual shareholders’ meeting by a member of London Mining Network. It is intended only as a guide to what happened at the meeting, and should not be considered a verbatim record. Questions and responses in this summary are grouped thematically and are not recorded in chronological order.

This summary does not attempt to convey the atmosphere of the meeting, which was extremely lively. Many of the Board’s comments were greeted with derisive or incredulous laughter or groans. There was much heckling and a number of well-informed interruptions from the floor. There were loud complaints when it was clear that the Chair was dodging a question. There was applause for criticisms of the company’s behaviour. At one point, members of the Board were themselves talking over one another as they attempted to defend their record.

Orissa

Sitaram Kulisika, a representative of Dongria Kondh communities opposed to Vedanta’s plan to mine in the Niyamgiri Hills, said (through an interpreter): “Last year in this meeting you promised that you would not mine Niyamgiri without permission of the Kondh community there, the indigenous people living there. And my people, in thousands, they have sent me to tell you that we are not going to leave Niyamgiri at any cost and we want to continue in that area, living in Niyamgiri. And I appeal to all of you to support us in our struggle and help us to protect our living god Niyamgiri and our community that has been living in their homeland for generations. Thank you.”

The company gave no response (after having responded to an earlier more general question on the issue of the protest outside the building).

Bianca Jagger said that she had read the commitment that the company makes to sustainable development. She said she was attending the AGM because she is concerned for the rights and indeed survival, of the Dongria Kondh people. She was concerned about the environmental impact of the proposed mine. She noted that the Central Empowered Committee of the Indian Supreme Court had said that mining in a sensitive forest area should not be allowed. She said that the company must understand the importance of perennial water sources. Removing the bauxite from where the water is collected will have a massive effect on the availability of water for drinking and irrigation. Niyamgiri is a pristine ecosystem with extraordinary biodiversity. Why would the company go ahead with a mine in the Niyamgiri Hills and destroy a pristine forest? With challenges to the environment globally, including climate change, would the company commit not to mine there?

Company Chairman Anil Agarwal said that the project would bring benefits to the area, including employment, and that mining had not yet begun and could not begin until the relevant permissions had been granted. He said that the company believed in the Government of India and challenged critics to accept Indian sovereignty. He said that India had experienced double-digit economic growth, and asserted that such activities were required as economic growth must continue.

Stephen Corry, Director General of Survival International, asked why the company had not responded to the complaint which Survival had brought against it to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). For the Board, Naresh Chandra suggested that Mr Corry wanted Orissa to be administered from the UK. He said that the best legal brains in India had made the arguments for and against the project and that the project had an Environmental Impact Assessment. He said that one of the people who had evaluated it was a Nobel prize winner. He said that the project would bring jobs and electricity, that the area was very backward and that the people are poor. The Government of India had taken up the matter with the OECD (after discussion with the company). It was a matter for the Indian Government, not for a foreign body.

Mining researcher Roger Moody pointed out that Vedanta is a British registered company and that Mr Chandra was deliberately confusing the issue. The company has a Board in Britain and is regulated by the British Financial Services Authority. Mr Chandra answered that the project was subject to environmental clearance from the Indian authorities, not the British.

Agrotosh Mookerjee, an actuary, said that the financially quantifiable costs of the deforestation which the project would cause are far greater than the economic benefits mentioned. He also called on the company to comment on the recent criticisms of the project by Amnesty International and the decisions by the Norwegain Government’s Sovereign Pension Fund and the Martin Currie Scottish Trust Fund to withdraw investments from the company because of human rights concerns.

The company responded that it is following all the rules. Some people like the company, some do not. Those who did not were welcome to disinvest. The company was not aware of an Amnesty report and demanded that Mr Mookerjee quote a source. The company would do nothing unless presented with facts.

Peter Frankental of Amnesty International said that corporate best practice involves conducting a Human Rights Impact Assessment. To date, the company has not conducted such an assessment either of its Lanjigarh refinery or its proposed mine on Niyamgiri. The EIA made no mention of human rights. How could the company know that the projects would have no adverse impacts on human rights for the entire life cycle of each project?

For the Board, Mahendra Medha responded that the company’s Sustainability Report was very people-focussed. He said that human rights are central to the Indian constitution, that any human rights concerns should be taken up with the National Human Rights Commission in India, and that the company would consider the matter fully if consulted further.

Samarendra Das said that in the last five years a number of the company’s opponents had been killed, including Sukru Majhi in 2005. Names of those murdered should be made public. The company said that it could not answer questions on murders. Samarendra pointed out that there had been a protest of 300 people against the company three days before the AGM and that earlier in the year up to 10,000 people had formed a human chain to protest against the company’s operations.

Other speakers urged that the company not mine in the Niyamgiri Hills without the permission of local people. The company chairman’s response was always that the company had not started mining, that there had been public hearings and would be more of them, and only after those would mining start. They insisted they followed Indian laws.

Film-maker Simon Chambers said that he had seen children loading lorries with bauxite by hand at other operations of the company. Three weeks before the AGM he had seen fly ash dumped in the jungle near the Lanjigarh refinery. He had seen houses and crops covered in white dust from the refinery. None of this was mentioned in the company’s sustainability report. Anil Agarwal said that this was new to him. Simon pointed out that he had told him about the child labour at the AGM three years ago and that Mr Agarwal had promised to look into the matter after being shown photographs, but had not done so. Anil Agarwal said that dumping of fly ash was not company policy and that he would look into it. Naresh Chandra said that any company employee found responsible would lose their job.

Felix Padel said that there had been numerous complaints against the company by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) for violations of the law by the company’s Lanjigarh refinery, and at its aluminium smelter construction site in the state. He said that many of the company’s critics at the AGM had the highest regard for Indian law but that implementation could be poor. He said he was shocked that the company was denying that there was forest at the top of the mountain which it wished to mine, and that even a Supreme Court judge had denied that the Dongria Kondh had any part in the matter, when it was clear that the Dongria Kondh hold the mountain sacred and protect its forest by not cutting trees there. The voice of the Dongria Kondh was not being heard.

Anil Agarwal replied that he was very offended that the Chief Justice of India was being criticised. He implied that the criticism was racist. He said that the OSPCB had inspected the operations at Niyamgiri and given clearance in May. This point was contested.

In response to a representative of Action Aid, Anil Agarwal said that the Government of India had asked the company to devote 5% of annual profits to benefit local people.

One shareholder noted that the company had illegally built a road in the protected forest. Anil Agarwal suggested that a complaint against the company could be lodged in Indian law.

Two shareholders claiming to be from the region stated that there used to be problems in the area but Vedanta had brought hope by bringing development such as medical care, education and the promise of jobs.

Goa

Dr Sreedhar Ramamurthy explained that the company’s operations in Goa had caused serious flooding in villages near the company’s mine wastes. He passed around photographs showing the damage done and asked what remediation the company had undertaken. Would there be continuity of management and what commitments would the company make regarding the impacts of its mine?

Anil Agarwal said that he did not know about the flooding. He promised to investigate. He said that India had large reserves of bauxites and was only mining 5 – 10% of it. He said that Vedanta was a FTSE company, that it would emulate international best practice and put the best people on the job.

Dr Ramamurthy said that it was very sad that the Chairman of the company did not know about the flood that had affected the villages in Goa and that it caused him pain that the company management was so ill-informed about the impacts of its operations.

Chhattisgarh

Another shareholder pointed out that the Indian Supreme Court’s Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) had found that among the 260 or so families displaced by the company’s Bodai-Daldali project, 189 families had not been resettled. Families without clear legal title had not been compensated, even though the sums of money involved are tiny compared to the company’s resources. The EAC had ruled that the project should not be expanded until these matters were resolved. Roger Moody, directly citing the EAC’s June 2009 final report, added that expansion should in any case not happen, that he had raised the matter several times at company AGMs and that he wanted a commitment that the company would not expand its Bodai-Daldali operations.

Mahendra Medha replied that this showed that the Indian regulatory system does its job and that the company’s critics should trust it. The company would not mine without permission (which was not being given here), but it was important to mine to bring prosperity to India’s backward adivasis.

Tamil Nadu

Roger Moody pointed out that the company had mined without permission in the Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu. This was why the company had had to close the mine. Mahendra Mehta responded that the company closed the mine because it did not need it, and that it was seeking permission to reopen it. Roger Moody asked why the company was seeking permission to reopen a mine that it did not need. It was clear that the company had had to close it because it was mining without permission.

Zambia

Simon Chase of ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa) pointed out that the company had boasted of cost savings at KCM in Zambia. He said that the company had been making wholesale job cuts and was not protecting the livelihoods of sacked workers. At the same time, the company was saying that it hoped to develop another mine at Lyuanshya and was protecting workers and communities. Is this a ploy to get the Government to renege on its policy of increasing corporate taxes?

Anil Agarwal claimed that the company was doing professional work there, increasing production and reducing costs through new technology as well as supporting education projects in local villages. He said that Lyuanshya had now been bought by other companies.

Independence of the Directors

Andy Whitmore of Indigenous Peoples’ Links pointed out that the company, though listed on the London Stock Exchange, was in fact a family run company. What would the Board do to ensure that it is independent?

Naresh Chandra stated that there was nothing wrong with family run companies, and that people fixated on Mr Agarwal, whereas no-one complained about, for instance, Bill Gates. This led to further arguments over the company’s claims to work to the highest standards, when even the company’s own report on corporate governance noted only some of the potential conflicts of interest.

As well as listening to the chants of the demonstrators outside the building in London where the meeting took place, the investors heard a barrage of questions from activists including human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, who had bought shares in the company in order to voice their opinions at the meeting.

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/27/vedantaresources-mining.

See also:

Undermining human rights (Comment by Bianca Jagger)
An Indian settlement built on mineral deposits is at risk from a mining company. As consumers, it is up to us to protect it
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/27/mining-india-human-rights

Business as usual: Vedanta mine plans threaten India’s poorest (Comment by Arundhati Roy)
An ecosystem destroyed. A way of life gone forever. Private profit and public pain. And we call this progress?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/jul/27/arundhati-roy-orissa-mine

Protest held against Indian mine
Activists have demonstrated outside the annual general meeting of British mining company Vedanta, protesting against its plans for a mine in India.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8170328.stm

and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8171652.stm

Profile: Anil Agarwal
Indian ‘Bollygarch’ made fortune helping the state privatise its mining
industry
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/28/anil-agarwal-profile

Anglican Church in controversy as Orissa tribals protest mining project
The Church of England is embroiled in a controversy for its partnership with a multinational mining company that is facing flak for setting up an alumina refinery in Orissa’s Niyamgiri Hills.
http://in.christiantoday.com/articles/anglican-church-in-controversy-as-orissa-tribals-protest-mining-project/4284.htm

Vedanta runs into a London storm over Orissa mining plans
London, July 27 (IANS) The Church of England and other shareholders of the mining company Vedanta braced for major protests at their annual meeting here Monday with a young Kondh tribal joining celebrities to demand an end to mining plans on the bauxite-rich mountains of Nyamgiri in Orissa.
http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/34785.htm

PRESS RELEASE

Kashipur Solidarity Group and Forum Against Oppression of Women

Members of Kashipur Solidarity Group and Forum Against Oppression of Women expressed solidarity with Khond adivasis struggling against the Aluminium company Sterilite, a subsidiary company of Vedanta by distributing 300 pamphlets in front of the Corporate Office of Vedanta, in Vile Parle, Mumbai on 27th July 2009 when Vedanta was having its Annual General Meeting in London. They shared with Vedanta workers too the state of degradation in Orissa as a result of bauxite mining which the company is planning to do in Niyamgiri mountain, in Lanjigarh, Orissa. Vedanta is already operating refinery for bauxite mining banned in First World countries for the devastation it causes to land, water and lives of people. There is worldwide support protest against the company. There was a successful protest on 25th July 2009 against Vedanta in Lanjigarh, Orissa despite company goons attempt to stop activists on the way. The supporters in Mumbai believe that the degradation due to mining will not only affect life in Orissa but it will affect the world’s ecology.

‘Niyamgiri’ is God to Khond adivasis and they have been struggling to save the invaluable resources of ‘Niyamraja’ since the project was known to them. The refinery is already creating health problems and the degradation of the rivers is reaching as far as Andhra Pradesh, the bordering state of Orissa. As the livelihoods are being affected, people in both the states are campaigning against the mining. The proposed open pit mining will damage and destroy the delicate ecology and environment of the jungle covered mountain with rare species of flora and fauna.

Vedanta group was black-listed by the Norwegein govt. for their large scale violations of both human rights and environmental laws. The Supreme Court of India took notice and said that “national resources” like large bauxite deposits can’t be handed over to such bad pvt. Companies but ‘recommended’ that Sterlite — a subsidiary company of Vedanta which is the ‘black-listed’ holding company – can go ahead and do this, forgoing that Gram Sabhas are against it!

The Kashipur Solidarity Group demands that these issues be addresses
·           the Rights of the tribal people / Forest Dwellers,
·           large scale human rights violations going on there,
·           the possibility of total devastation of a very sensitive & fragile eco-system of dense  forests & sparkling rivers,
·           the intimate relationship of the forest dwellers with this “hill of law (Niyam) Niyamgiri”
·           the real need for such an extremely energy-intensive material like Aluminum                                             (which is also a bio-accumulative toxin)

on behalf of Kashipur Solidarity Group,
Sachin Masurkar, 9869324085,
chanda asani,
8/9 Arvind nagar, Kalina, Mumbai 400029
chanda_asani@yahoo.co.uk, bula1957@gmail.com

PRESS RELEASE
GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST VEDANTA RESOURCES PLC (27 JULY)

VENUE/TIME:- AGM OF VEDANTA RESOURCES PLC, THE LINCOLN CENTRE, 18 LINCOLN’S INN FIELDS, LONDON, WC2A 3ED, (nearest Tube- Holborn)

27 JULY 2009, 2.00 pm onwards

STOP THE CULTURAL GENOCIDE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION, HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION, DEADLY POLLUTION

The Global Campaign against Vedanta Resources plc will be protesting inside and outside the Annual General Meeting of Vedanta Resources plc at Lincoln Centre, 18 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3ED on 27 July 2009 from 2.00 pm onwards. Simultaneous protests will be held worldwide on 27 July, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa and other parts of India and a series of demonstrations, public meetings and rallies will be held in Orissa, Kolkata, Mumbai and other cities from 27 July onwards.

Vedanta Resources is a multinational mining company, listed on the London Stock Exchange whose spectacular rise involves violating Environmental Laws, Human Rights Abuse, Financial scams & Political corruption in Zambia, Armenia, India and other countries where it exploits poorly regulated mining enclaves. Recently Vedanta has announced plans to start mining in the Niyamgiri hills of Orissa, India from October 2009 and it aims to increase operations by 6 fold by 2011. Vedanta’s mining in Orissa will have a devastating impact on the fragile Ecosystem of this fertile and vitally important forested mountainous region and the state of Orissa in general. It will lead to a Cultural Genocide of the ancient tribal civilization of the Dongria Kondh and Majhi Kondh tribes, who have lived ecologically sustainable & self sufficient lives for centuries in these mountains. Vedanta’s mining will also lead to severely toxic pollution, diseases, terminal illnesses, destruction of endangered wildlife, damage to the wild elephant population, devastation of crops and arable land and the poisoning and drying up of rivers and streams, which will have catastrophic effects on tens of thousands of people for whom these rivers are crucial lifelines in Kalahandi, one of the most drought prone regions of India.

The Global Campaign against Vedanta Resources plc is spread over several countries and includes over 150 solidarity groups, Grassroots movements, NGOs, activists, intellectuals, academics, students and professionals.

WE DEMAND THE FOLLOWING:-

1.       Vedanta should IMMEDIATELY ABANDON PLANS for mining Bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills of Orissa.

2.       PARLIAMENTARY INVESTIGATIONS in the UK and in India into Vedanta’s operations in India and around the world.

3.       Vedanta, a UK based company, MUST BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE for the social, environmental and health repercussions suffered by local communities around the world as a result of Vedanta’s callous mining activities. Those who have been affected and abused by Vedanta’s activities MUST BE ENABLED to seek justice in their home countries and/or in the UK.

4.       Vedanta Ltd, Regulators, the UK Government and Governments of the mining enclaves MUST IMPLEMENT MORE EFFECTIVE CONTROLS on Vedanta’s operations.

5.       Vedanta’s Shareholders and other investors must be MADE FULLY AWARE of the true nature of this mining company they are investing in so that they can make a better informed decision on whether to WITHDRAW THEIR INVESTMENTS from this criminally destructive mining company.

BACKGROUND TO WHY VEDANTA RESOURCES PLC MUST BE STOPPED

After a highly controversial legal case lasting 3 years at The Supreme Court of India, which witnessed some outrageous distortion of facts and a major miscarriage of justice, in April 2009 the Indian Government gave clearance to Vedanta to mine Bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills of Orissa for the next 25 years. Vedanta plans to start mining Bauxite in October 2009 and aims to increase by 6 fold by 2011.

CRITICAL REASONS WHY WE MUST NOT LET VEDANTA COMMENCE MINING ACTIVITIES IN NIYAMGIRI and leave behind a trail of terrible ENVIRONMENTAL and HUMAN DEVASTATION includes the following:-

·         Vedanta’s mining activities will have a catastrophic effect on the fragile Ecosystem of Orissa with over a thousand hectares of prime Evergreen ‘Reserve Forests’ being wiped out, rivers being poisoned, ground water levels falling. Already Vedanta’s Refinery, which has been built on tribal land in Lanjigarh, is critically polluting. Major rivers of Orissa, including River Bansadhara, has already been polluted at its source. Toxic wastes have ruined fertile agricultural lands, polluted air, contaminated drinking & bathing water, & caused severe illnesses in people & wildlife. Mining will compound these effects.

·         Hundreds of the local indigenous population have been killed in work and road accident in and around this Refinery because of Vedanta’s criminal negligence. The Community has been violently split and is terrorised by thugs in Vedanta’s pay.

·         Niyam Dongar is the most densely forested mountain in the Niyamgiri range. It is home to the ancient civilization of the Dongria Kondh tribe, who have preserved their sacred mountain, prevented deforestation, lived ecologically sustainable & self sufficient lives for centuries.

·         Cultural Genocide is imminent with Mass Unemployment and Destitution as farmers, fishermen and forest dwellers will be displaced and abandoned in shanty-towns. Delicate social structure will be torn apart with the collapse of traditional Economic systems, Kinship system, Egalitarian power structures and Religious values. Already displacement and the invasion by an alien industry has led to a sharp rise in illegal liquor shops, fraudulent schemes, drunken violence, wife beatings, suicides, prostitution & serious fractures in the community. Cultural Genocide will also affect Majhi Kondh tribe and will culminate in the destruction of Niyam Dongar, the most sacred mountain of the Kondh tribe and their Lord of Law. The Kondhs perceive the mountains and the forests as their Gods. So their destruction is both an environmental and a cultural atrocity.

·         These Bauxite-capped mountains are the reason for the region’s exceptional fertility and bio-diversity. Bauxite, which contains the Aluminium ore, soaks up rainwater, holds this water and releases it to numerous perennial streams and rivers, which are essential Lifelines in Kalahandi, one of the most drought prone regions of India. Removing this Bauxite will be catastrophic for the fragile ecosystem, endangered wildlife and for tens of thousands of people who rely on these rivers.

·         If mining starts on Niyamgiri, at least 50 other major mountains are next in line! Already tribal people and ‘Dalits’ (Untouchables) have movements to protect Bapla Mali, Mali Parbat, Deo Mali, Gandhamardan and other mountains in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. BHPBilliton, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, Jindal & Dubai-based companies are poised to set up Bauxite mines.

·         In Dec 2000 police opened fire on tribal campaigners, killing three at the Utkal project. While an Inquiry into the police firing was holding up this project Vedanta made its move, building its refinery before applying for permission to mine! Vedanta has repeatedly violated Government Pollution Guidelines, illegally occupied village land, criminally started construction work without Environmental Clearance, dumped toxic pollutants into rivers and cleared ‘Reserve Forest’ land despite valiant efforts by villagers to protect their forests.

·          Mountains of North Orissa are some of the last pockets of wild elephants in Eastern India. These majestic animals are being threatened by the rampant mining. Magnificent wildlife, forests, some of the highest waterfalls in India and many tribal cultures are in serious danger of being wiped out forever.

WORLDWIDE REACTIONS & MOVEMENTS

·      In early 2009, in a breathtakingly beautiful non-violent protest over 10,000 villagers and concerned citizens held hands to form a 17 kilometre human chain around the Niyamgiri hills.

·      On July 9, 2009 Amnesty International stated that “The Indian Government should immediately withdraw the clearance granted to a massive mining project (Vedanta) that threatens the lives and livelihoods of a protected indigenous community living in the Niyamgiri hills.

·      Vedanta has been blacklisted by the Norwegian Govt Pension Fund, with its pension fund investments divested in 2007 citing “serious malpractice and contraventions of environment norms and ethics by the Vedanta management in the past wherever they operate” and “human rights violation”. Procedural violations in procurement of environment and forest clearance for mining were cited. The Martin Currie Scottish Trust Fund also withdrew their £2.37m investment in Vedanta in July 2008 on grounds of “environmental and human rights violation.”

·      The Orissa State Pollution Control Board has issued more than 3 notices to Vedanta for violating pollution norms at its Refinery and the CEC committee of the Indian Supreme Court submitted several reports highlighting irregularities and corruption in Vedanta and recommending that Environmental Clearance for mining activities should NOT be give. Both Vedanta’s parent company- Sterlite and Vedanta’s subsidiary MALCO have been charged in court with the criminal violation of Environmental laws, callous dumping of toxic wastes and illegal construction.

·      Worldwide uproar followed Vedanta being awarded the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ by the World Environmental Foundation (WEF) in 2009. This same award was awarded to Satyam Computers in September 2008 before being withdrawn in January 2009 after senior management and the founder chairman were arrested for fraud. Various concerned citizens wrote a letter to the jurors of this ‘Golden Peacock Award’ voicing their concerns and exposing Vedanta’s activities. In reply the jurors dissociated themselves from Vedanta and said that the prize decision was made beforehand by one Mr Mehra. Mr Mehra is a highly dubious London based corporate guru of whom ‘The Observer’ released an article in May 2003 called ‘The Contradictions of Madhav Mehra’! Hundreds of organisations and individuals wrote to the jury of the ‘The Golden Peacock Award’ and demonstrations were held at the Award ceremony in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Such was the public anger that even the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and other Government officials refused to participate in this Award ceremony.

·      In Vietnam, the tribal people of the Central Highlands are being invaded by the world’s top aluminium companies. General Vo Nguyen Giap – a war hero, now aged 97, who helped defeat the French and American invasions – is among a large group of the country’s leading citizens who are opposing this new invasion by mining companies. Scientists are prominent in the campaign. In Peru’s Amazon region opposition against oil extracting companies gained worldwide attention after a blockade by about 30,000 people was met by severe police violence on 5-6 June 2009, which killed at least 85 Indians. In Nigeria the assault on indigenous communities involved the outrageous ‘execution’ of writer and environmental activist Ken Saro Wiwa, who was non-violently opposing multinational oil companies. In the Phillipines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Burma, Tibet etc mining, oil and logging companies are destroying forest simultaneously with the livelihood of the indigenous peoples. Scientists believe that Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico could be due to the horrendous pollution spread by the big meat companies. In Western Australia, Erin Brockovich, the famous Environmental lawyer is representing the local community against Aluminium giant Alcoa after an outbreak of respiratory illnesses.

·      We need to understand that the Financial Crisis, Global Warming & Pandemics are linked to these exploitive industries, which pollute callously, devastate crops and arable land, destroys communities & cultures, leads to the loss of rare animals & medicinal plants, death of rivers, infliction of sickness and terminal diseases. All for the sake of a few greedy years of corporate profits. We need to join with the Grassroots movements in India, Vietnam, Peru and other countries in opposing these monstrously destructive corporations and in choosing genuinely sustainable development, which will be genuinely beneficial for the local communities and be ecologically sustainable for many generations to come.

CONTACT DETAILS:-

GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST VEDANTA,
Samarendra Das-  sdasorisa@hotmail.co.uk, sdasorisa@rediffmail.com
Felix Padel- felixorisa@yahoo.com
Agrotosh Mookerjee- whatculture@yahoo.co.uk

Phone- (+44) 07528435541

Miriam Rose-  welliebird7@hotmail.co.uk

ARUNDHATI ROY’S SOLIDARITY MESSAGE FOR THE GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST VEDANTA (27 JULY) & WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN AGAINST VEDANTA

“I’m sorry that I cannot be personally present at the protest. I would if I could. This is to extend my support and solidarity with the campaign against the corporate mining company Vedanta Resources and its subsidiaries. Bauxite mountains are part of a very delicate ecosystem. The mining of bauxite and the process by which it is turned into Aluminium is among the most toxic, environmentally devastating processes imaginable. If Vedanta is allowed to go ahead with its plans for mining the Niyamgiri Hills in Orissa for bauxite it will lead to the devastation of a whole ecosystem and the destruction of not just the Dongria Kondh tribal community, but eventually all those  whose livelihoods depend on that ecosystem. The battle-lines are very clearly drawn. On the one hand the Indian Government with all its might, its judiciary and its police has aligned itself with the mining cartel of several corporations, led from the front by Vedanta. On the other side are India’s poorest forest dwelling people who stand to be displaced from their homes and lose their livelihoods and their way of life. In some ways it’s an ancient battle and a familiar one, whose story has been played out over centuries in every continent across the world and has had a more or less similar outcome ie: The Corporations always win. This is commonly known as “Progress’. However,  today, in the era of climate change, surely it’s time to realize that  forests, river systems  mountain ranges and people who know to live in ecologically sustainable ways, are worth more than all the bauxite in the world. Vedanta ought to be stopped in it’s tracks. Now. Immediately. Before any more damage is done.”

Arundhati Roy

Successful Protest against Vedanta in Lanjigarh, Orissa,
despite company goons trying to stop activists on the way

Source: Environmental Protection Group, Orissa

25 July 2009

See photographs at http://www.epgorissa.org/apps/photos/album?albumid=6620562

Hundreds of tribals from the Niyamgiri mountain and Lanjigarh staged a protest against Vedanta’s mining and refinery project that will ruin the sacred Niyamgiri mountain alongwith its water sources, rich cultural values and religious beliefs of thousands of Dongrias and the Dalits living there for millenia. The protestors drew a line on the way where Vedanta is forcefully building the mining road, giving a strong message that the company will not be allowed beyond that line. This protest was part of the Global Campaign against Vedanta carried out all across the country and other parts of the world. The activists demanded immediate closure of the refinery and scrapping up of mining permission given to Vedanta’s subsidiary Sterlite Industries India Ltd. This protest comes at a time when the Vedanta Resources plc. is gearing towards its annual shareholders meeting in London next week.

The activists had to face opposition in various forms while going to join the protest today. For instance, the road in Lanjigarh side was blocked by the goons with boulders and stones. This did not mar the spirit of the people as they crossed them. The henious act of intimidating people by a group of motorcycle riders reached a high point when the vehicle carrying senior activists of the camapaign viz., Bhagwat Prasad Rath, Prafulla Samantara and Bhalachandra, was stopped by the goons. They first threatened the driver and charged him to have killed someone in an accident a few days back. As usual, all this was a way to stop the vehicle from going ahead. The goons forced the activists to retreat and as they were going back, a large group of tribals coming for the protest joined the senior activists and chased the goons away. Realising the plans laid out by the goons in the entire area, the protestors took Bhagwat Prasad Rath and Prafulla Samantara to a safe place as the others proceeded for the protest site.

It has come to the knowledge of the protestors that the plot was spread by the supporters of one of Orissa’s biggest mafia don Mahima Mishra who has been given the contract to build the mining road to the Niyamgiri hills. It is noteworthy here that the tribals of Niaymgiri and Lanjigarh have been continuously intimidated by the goons with weapons for many months now working with Mahima Mishra to protect that company officials.

When the activists went to the police station to lodge a complaint against those who stopped them on the way in Dahikhal, they were told that the area does not fall in their jurisdiction and that they have to go to Ambadola, another 10-12 kms from there. It was thought unwise to proceed to Ambadola to lodge a complaint in the light of the whole day’s proceedings, the activists did not go and instead have written to the SP of the area as well as to the Collector to take immediate action against such intimidation.

It must be noted here that the latest tactics of Vedanta is to refrain people from attending meetings and interacting with people joining the struggle from outside. This was clearly seen during the public hearing in Belamba in April 2009 and again during one of the meetings in the Niaymgiri hills in end of June. The tribals have revolted very strongly and as always, have shown great collective wisdon and energy in dealing with such situation. Today’s protest is an example of this determination as thousands of them shouted slogans and resolved to protect the mountain against all odds.

British mining company Vedanta targeted by Bianca Jagger and musician Nitin Sawhney on behalf of Kondh tribal people
http://www.actionaid.org.uk/101981/british_mining_company_vedanta_targeted_by_bianca_jagger_and_musician_nitin_sawhney_on_behalf_of_kondh_tribal_people.html

Vedanta blocked by tribal protests as indigenous resistance spreads worldwide
http://www.survival-international.org/news/4783

Anglican Church in India mine row
Environmental campaigner Bianca Jagger has called on the Church of England to rethink its investment in Vedanta.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8166937.stm

Activists call on Vedanta investors to oppose mine on holy site in India
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jul/26/vedanta-mining-india-bianca-jagger

Vedanta runs into a London storm over Orissa mining plans
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Indl-Goods-Svs/Vedanta-runs-into-a-London-storm-over-Orissa-mining-plans/articleshow/4825968.cms

Mining company targeted by protesters
Vedanta Resources plc, the company behind a devastating new mine in India, is facing disruption to its London AGM over its actions.
http://www.theecologist.co.uk/News/news_round_up/293023/mining_company_targeted_by_protesters.html