The notorious Vedanta group which has been denied mining rights in Niyamgiri Hills of Odisha in the face of powerful mass protests is engaged in illegal and destructive mining activities in Shevaroy hills of Salem district, an area rich in bio-diversity and mineral resources. A people's convention in Salem resolved to kick-out killer Vedanta from Shevaroy Hills. For the past 40 years the bauxite mining activities in the 700 acres of land, the killer Vedanta did irreparable havoc in and around the hills. Apart from destroying the flora and fauna and rare species, the bauxite mining over 700 acres of land (though the company has lease for only 400 acres) is threatening the very existence of the local Malayali tribe numbering around 50000. This reckless mining is also affecting more than 10,000 acres of agricultural land in the region leading to severe agrarian crisis and large-scale migration of local tribal youth including young tribal girls who are forced to work in conditions of semi-bondage in the spinning mills of Coimbatore.
A campaign has now been launched to save the hills and the people and oust killer Vedanta from the area. Following the release of a well documented fact-finding report on 23 January 2011, a people’s convention was held in Salem on 13 February. The convention was attended by a good number of tribal activists, teachers, researchers, students, workers, left-leaning political activists, literary and cultural activists and journalists. Com. Chandramohan, CPI(ML) State Committee member and an organizer of the Oust Vedanta campaign explained the salient points of the report of the fact-finding team. The convention was addressed among others by Com. S Balasundaram, CPI(ML) State Secretary and tribal leaders KA Gunasekaran and Kubendran.
