Orissa to set up SPV for Lanjigarh project-Minister

Bhubaneswar, Nov 24 (UNI) The Orissa government will modify the agreement signed with the Vedant Aluminium Limited(VAL) for the Lanjigarh project in light of the Supreme Court judgement, State Steel and Mines Minister Padmanav Behera said here today.

Mr Behera said the apex court was not against the Lanjigarh project but sought some safeguards to protect the nature and subserve development.

The Minister said as per the judgement, the state government would float a Special Purpose Vehicle(SPV) for the development of Lanjigarh project with the state owned Orissa Mining Corporation and the Sterlite Industries India Limited(SIIL).

Mr Behera said the Supreme Court had clearly stated that it may consider granting clearance to the project if the SIIL and the OMC jointly agree to comply with the rehabilitation package.

He described the Opposition Congress demand for resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as ''unjustified'' and said the Supreme Court judgement would rather help the state government to receive more fund to undertake peripheral development and wildlife management.

Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee(OPCC) Chief Jayadev Jena and former Union Minister Srikant Jena today demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister and CBI inquiry into the ''Vedant deal'' in view of the Supreme Court judgement declining to give permission to go ahead with the bauxite mining in the Niyamgiri hill for the Rs 4000 crore Alumina project at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.

The VAL had filed an application before the Supreme Court in 2004 seeking clearance of the proposal to use 723.343 hectares of land in Lanjigarh Tahasil for setting up of the Alumia Refinery.

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