Picturesque Koraput faces Mining Threat

TNI Bureau: Many places in Odisha suffer from government apathy and neglect despite having great tourism potential. While other states lead, Odisha has been lagging behind. The beautiful mountains and hilly areas of Odisha, have been under constant threat from miners. Now, it’s the turn of Nandapur in Koraput district to face the mining heat.

Locals in Nandpur, especially from 5 panchayats, recently hit the streets to oppose the proposed mining by Adani Group’s Mundra Aluminium Ltd (MAL) in Balda Caves and Nageswari Mountains. The Nageswari Suraksha Manch has intensified its protest while seeking cancellation of mining lease. They demanded tourism status to both places, which meet all the criteria to become a tourist hub.

Thousands of people gheraoed Koraput District Collector’s office earlier last month to press for their demand. Even, the Sarpanch Association of Nandapur Block, extended unconditional support to the movement. Although the voice is getting louder every passing day, there are attempts to create a divide among the protesters and it’s probably working. It would be interesting to see if the protesters can remain strong over the next months or collapse under pressure.

A close look at Balda Caves, situated at 1300m above the sea level, will introduce us to a natural pond, which was later redeveloped by the Forest department. The area looks like the India Map from drone view. Ex-CM Naveen Patnaik had visited the site in 2008 and promised to make it a tourist hub. But, his own government identified it as a mining block and auctioned it in favour of Adani Group.

Around 40,000 people, mostly tribals live in the Ballada Nageswari Mountain Range and Caves. Their livelihood, emotions, religious belief are attached to the region. Whether mining is essential or not, is a debatable topic. But, ignoring the concerns and demands of tribals and locals, could backfire for the incumbent government, which boasts of tribal welfare and rights of indigenous people.