Vedanta faces public anger at AGM
by Matthew
As British mining company Vedanta Resources ploughs ahead with plans to open a massive new mine on tribal land, we invite you to protest outside the firm’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) next week.
WHERE: The Institution of Civil Engineers, 1 Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA
Vedanta (through a subsidiary named Sterlite) intends to build a huge bauxite mine in Niyamgiri, Orissa. The Niyamgiri Hills are the home of the Dongria Kondh tribe.
If the mine goes ahead it will destroy the Dongria Kondh and desecrate their most sacred site. Mining in this location risks polluting and drying up the many streams and rivers that flow from the mountain, which thousands of families depend on.
The battle to save Niyamgiri is currently being fought in the Supreme Court in Delhi. Although the company does not yet have permission for the mine, they have built a refinery which has already displaced some of a neighbouring Kondh tribe from their villages.
The Dongria have vowed to protect their forests and mountain. Two spokesmen from the area are traveling to London to protest at the AGM.
The Dongria Kondh need your help. Please join us on Thursday.