Noted Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, United States of America, said that Government of India apparently took into consideration the concerns of the tribes living in the area and issues raised by environmentalists involved and it should be commended for that.

Rajan Zed, who is the chairperson of Indo-American Leadership Confederation, pointed out that it seemed that issues like sacredness of the mountain, disturbance of lifestyle and tradition of the tribes, affect on ecosystems-water sources-wildlife-water pollution-displacement-deforestation-endangered species, etc, outweighed the financial interests of the miner Vedanta.

Niyamgiri Hill range, where the bauxite extraction was planned, is reportedly considered sacred by the Dongria Kondh tribe. Vedanta had reportedly proposed a 2.7 billion dollar investment in the area. Survival International led the campaign against mining and parallelised the plight of Dongria Kondh to the Na’vi tribe in blockbuster ‘Avatar’ (James Cameron). Celebrities like actress Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous), activist Bianca Jagger, BAFTA winner actor-comedian Michael Palin (A Fish Called Wanda), etc, reportedly voiced against the proposed mining project. Church of England reportedly sold its shares in Vedanta in view of inconsistency with its investment policy.

Vedanta Resources, headquartered in London (United Kingdom), is a diversified metals and mining group with wide-ranging interests in aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, iron ore and commercial energy, whose principal operations are in India, Zambia and Australia. Anil Agarwal is executive chairman. Survival International, founded in 1969 and also headquartered in London, is international organisation with supporters in 82 countries, working for tribal people’s rights through education, advocacy and campaigns. Stephen Corry is the director.