Arguing that the Niyamgiri hills belong solely to the Dongria Kondh community, NAPM leaders have demanded the cancellation of all mining leases in the area and the closure of Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery.
Addressing a press conference on Sept 29, environmentalist and NAPM National Advisor Prafulla Samantara, along with state convener Narendra Mohanty and human rights advocate Biswapriya Kanungo, strongly condemned renewed efforts to hand over bauxite reserves to corporate entities.
The activists recalled the landmark 2013 decision wherein 12 Gram Sabhas unanimously rejected bauxite extraction proposals in Niyamgiri, a stance subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court of India based on rights guaranteed under the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), the Forest Rights Act (FRA), and the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.
NAPM leaders alleged a systematic conspiracy between the Prime Minister’s Office and the Odisha government to bypass community consent and lease key bauxite deposits—including Niyamgiri, Karlapat, Sijimali, Kutrumali, and Sasubohumali—to corporate giants like Vedanta and Adani.
They termed the recent arrests of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti (NSS) president Lada Sikaka and advisor Lingaraj Azad on allegedly fabricated charges as state intimidation tactics designed to stifle local opposition.
Highlighting that the bauxite-rich Eastern Ghats feed key rivers like the Vamsadhara and Nagavali, activists promised to keep fighting to protect local biodiversity, water sources, and indigenous livelihoods.
