Of gods and demons: The sacred hills of niyamgiri and vedanta aluminium ltd (VAL)

Abstract

The case recounts the ongoing conflict between Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL) in Niyamgiri, Orissa, and the indigenous people and environmentalists over the mining and refining of aluminium in India. VAL is a subsidiary of FTSE listed Vedanta Resources Plc. The company acquired a license for mining alumina from the state owned Orissa Mining Corporation and began work on the project that would make it the largest integrated producer of aluminium. Since the very beginning, this project has faced stiff resistance from the endangered indigenous tribes of the area and the environmentalists for its adverse impact. The case depicts the several ups and downs of both the company and the resistance movement and the methods employed by each of them during the decade-old struggle that has been fought over continents and is now a very charged political issue in the country. The case also illustrates the manner in which the state and political leadership work, at times supporting the people and at times the corporate interests. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.