Niyamgiri is back in the news. That tired question, whether or not the bauxite deposits that lie underneath its forest should be mined, is being reiterated — once again. The Odisha government has gone back to court, saying the gram sabhas (village assemblies) in the area should be reconvened to consider whether mining can be carried out by the state-run Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC).
This hill range that spreads across the Rayagada and Kalahandi districts of Odisha became contested terrain sincemore than a decade. Once hidden from the public eye, Niyamgiri ironically became an international phenomenon when local perceptions. . .
