Bhubaneswar: Environment activist Medha Patkar and six others have been barred from entering five villages in Odisha’s Rayagada district till Sunday afternoon.
Rayagada district collector Ashutosh Kulkarni said Patkar and six others, including activist Prafulla Samantra, are prohibited from entering, assembling, addressing any gathering, or participating in any public or quasi-public activity within the jurisdiction of Sunger, Adajore, Sindoor Ghati, Talajhiri, and Kashipur Gram Panchayats in the district from the afternoon of August 8 to the afternoon of August 10, under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
Members of two organisations — Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti and Maa Mati Mali Suraksha Manch — have also been barred from entering the area during this period.
The district administration’s order came a day ahead of chief minister Mohan Majhi’s visit on Saturday to observe World Indigenous Day and distribute funds to women beneficiaries of the Subhadra Yojana.
“During the period, all forms of padayatras, public meetings, press briefings, socio-political gatherings, or protest assemblies in the said areas by the individuals or their known affiliates shall remain strictly prohibited. The Superintendent of Police is directed to ensure strict compliance with this order and to take necessary preventive and coercive action, including enhanced deployment, round-the-clock surveillance, and, if warranted, detention of violators to pre-empt any breach of peace,” a prohibitory order issued by the district administration said.
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{{/usCountry}}This comes two months after Patkar and over 20 others were detained by the Rayagada administration shortly after she arrived on June 5 to participate in a public meeting protesting the proposed bauxite mining by Vedanta Limited.
In March 2023, the Odisha government issued a 50-year mining lease for a proposed bauxite mining project in the Sijimali hills, with bauxite mines extending over an area of 1,549 hectares. After facing setbacks in its attempt to mine the Niyamgiri hills, Vedanta’s interest shifted to Sijimali as part of its strategy to secure bauxite. The Sijimali mines have an estimated bauxite reserve of 311 million tonnes and are likely to displace 100 families from 18 villages in two districts.
Vedanta has applied for the mandatory environmental clearance under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and forest clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. In October 2023, two public hearings in Rayagada and Kalahandi districts for environmental clearance ended amid widespread protests.