Bhubaneswar, swa news : Following a massive protest yesterdayat Lanjigarhunder the banner of LanjigarhAnchalik Vikash Parishad (LAVP), where nearly 5,000 villagers, youth, and community leaders from Kalahandi demanded the immediate opening of local bauxite mines, representatives of the movement met Hon’ble MLA of Lanjigarh, Shri Pradip Kumar Dishari.
Speaking after the meeting, MLA Pradip Kumar Dishari said, “Odisha holds some of the world’s richest bauxite reserves, yet we still depend on imports. This is a betrayal of both our people and our potential. This fight is about the future of our youth. Without local mining, thousands leave Kalahandi every year in search of work. If the mines open, they can live, work, and prosper here itself. The Supreme Court’s 2008 judgment under Justice S.H. Kapadia gave a clear path for growth with responsibility. It mandated sustainable mining with safeguards—5% of profits for local community development, afforestation, ecological restoration, groundwater and wildlife protection, and a comprehensive Tribal Development Plan. This model ensures that mining is not exploitation but empowerment. It creates schools, hospitals, roads, jobs, and dignity for our people, while protecting the environment.”
The MLA extended his solidarity with the people of Kalahandi, assuring them that their concerns would be raised with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha. He promised that he would personally take up the matter at the highest levels of the state government to ensure that the voice of the people of Kalahandi is heard. Shri Dishari emphasized that the demand for opening the bauxite mines is not just an economic necessity but a social imperative, and pledged to stand by the community until a concrete decision is taken in their favour. He further pointed out that despite India holding over 5 billion tonnes of bauxite reserves, the country continues to import more than 4.5 million tonnes annually,costing the national treasury thousands of crores. Such dependence on imports, he said, is both economically unsustainable and a grave injustice to mineral-rich districts like Kalahandi.
The MLA’s remarks reinforced the protesters’ long-standing demand that Kalahandi’s abundant bauxite reserves be utilized for local development rather than continued dependence on imports.
The day’s protest had seen villagers carrying placards with slogans such as “Desh ka Bauxite, Desh ka Vikas” and “Open Our Mines, Secure Our Future”, underlining the urgency of the issue. The protesters warned that continued inaction will undo two decades of progress in Kalahandi. If the bauxite mines are not opened soon, Kalahandi risks slipping back to the grim conditions of two decades ago, marked by hunger, poverty, and mass migration.
The LAVP leaders also reiterated their call to convene the long pending Gram Sabha meeting to open the bauxite mines, stressing that community participation and mandated safeguards will ensure responsible mining that benefits both people and the environment.
Mr. Sridhara Pesnia, President-LAVP, Chandra Behera, Advisor-LAVP, Chandra Pesnia, Advisor, and Subhas Agrawal, Youth Leader, met the Hon’ble MLA of Lanjigarh, Shri Pradip Kumar Dishari, to convey the community’s demand.
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