Tribal people from 300 remote villages in Orissa came together for a mass protest to draw the world’s attention to a controversial mining project which, they say, will wreck their mountain and livelihoods.

The special event was organised by three Khond tribes in a bid to overturn a forthcoming decision by the Indian Supreme Court which is expected to allow clearance for bauxite mining on the mountain’s summit, the Kondh’s most sacred site.

Representatives from tribal groups across Orissa and India joined activists academics, advocates and anthropologists to express solidarity with the Khond in their bid to protect the Niyamgiri mountain.

“Niyamgiri is our father, our mother our everything. Our food, fruits, millet and vegetables all come from Niyamgiri,” says 40-year-old Gato Majhi, Vice President of the pooja (worship) committee and member of the local protection group Niyamgiri Sauraksha Samiti.

“If Niyamgiri goes out of our hands, all this will be destroyed. Where will the tribals go? We cannot survive outside Niyamgiri,” she adds.

After a three-year case the Indian Supreme Court is set to give clearance to Sterlite (a subsidiary of Vedanta plc, UK-registered FTSE-100 company) to mine bauxite from Niyamgiri based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the Government of Orissa.

For the Kondh, mining this mountain would be a sacrilege that no financial package could compensate for.

Constitution at risk

Legal campaigners also say two pillars of the Indian Constitution are also at stake:

“If mining is permitted in Niyamgiri, two of India’s strongest constitutional guarantees will be overturned: the right of a ‘primitive tribal group’ to their territorial integrity and to decide on their own path of development (Schedule V of the Indian Constitution); and the right to religious practices and beliefs (Article 25),” says Prashant Bhushan, advocate, Supreme Court and part of the Campaign.
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The forest, which covers 670-hectares is one of Orissa's last core areas of un spoilt woodland and is sacred to the Kohnd

“For us it is a matter of life or death. Niyam Raja is under threat and with it our land, livelihood and way of life,” says 25-year-old Phulme Majhi.

The tribal gathering in Niyamgiri takes place at time when international diplomats are converging at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Over the next few months the Council is due to decide on a new procedure that could lead to tougher human rights rules for companies worldwide.

ActionAid campaigner Julian Oram says: "The protests at Niyamgiri highlight a problem of corporate abuse which is mirrored in thousands of poor communities across the globe.

“The international community must act by kick starting a new procedure at the Human Rights Council that could ultimately hold companies more accountable for human rights violations.”