Context
Activists have cautioned against reported efforts to revive bauxite mining in Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hills, arguing that earlier Gram Sabha decisions and legal safeguards protecting the Dongria Kondh and other forest-dwelling communities must be respected.
Explanation
- Niyamgiri Hills, spread across Kalahandi and Rayagada districts of Odisha, contain significant bauxite deposits and are home to the Dongria Kondh, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
- The hills have deep livelihood, ecological and religious-cultural significance for local tribal communities.
- In Orissa Mining Corporation Ltd. v. Ministry of Environment & Forest (2013), the Supreme Court recognised the role of Gram Sabhas in determining community, cultural and religious rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
- Subsequently, 12 Gram Sabhas considered and rejected the proposed mining project.
- Key safeguards include the Fifth Schedule, PESA Act, 1996, and FRA, 2006, which protects individual and community forest rights, including customary and habitat-related rights.
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Niyamgiri Hills: Gram Sabha and Tribal Forest Rights