Vedanta Gets Key Clearance For Sijimali Mine Access Road In Odisha

The Odisha government has cleared the construction of a 3.4-km access road to the proposed Sijimali bauxite mines in Rayagada district of Odisha after the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) granted Stage-II, or final, forest clea... The Odisha government has cleared the construction of a 3.4-km access road to the proposed Sijimali bauxite mines in Rayagada district of Odisha after the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) granted Stage-II, or final, forest clearance for diversion of forest land linked to the project. The approval marks a significant step towards operationalising the Vedanta-linked mining project, even as it remains embroiled in legal challenges and local opposition from tribal communities. The road, regarded as the first major physical infrastructure required for the mine, has been at the centre of a prolonged conflict between the state administration and local tribal residents. Tensions culminated in violent clashes on April 7, in which 70 people, including 58 police personnel, were injured. State forest department officials said the proposed road, connecting the Sijimali Bauxite Mines hilltop to State Highway-44 (SH-44) in Kashipur tehsil, received final approval under Section 2(1)(ii) of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, on May 5. Following the clearance, the state government issued an order permitting diversion of 4.911 hectares of forest land in favour of the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), which had sought permission as the implementing agency. The 3.4-km road to the mineral block leased to the Vedanta Group has emerged as one of the most contentious elements of the Sijimali mining project. It is expected to link the hilltop mining area with SH-44 and further connect it to a nearby railway siding, enabling transportation of bauxite extracted from the lease area. Officials consider the road essential for making the mine operational. In its order granting Stage-II clearance, the MoEFCC directed the Odisha government to undertake compensatory afforestation over 6.07 hectares of non-forest land within two years. The ministry had earlier granted Stage-I, or in-principle, approval for diversion of the forest land in January 2026. However, the final approval carries a significant caveat. The ministry said the validity and continued operation of the Stage-II forest clearance would remain subject to the outcome of two petitions pending before the Eastern Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in Kolkata. The appeals, filed by tribal activist Munidei Majhi and others, challenge various aspects of forest diversion and approvals connected to the Sijimali mining project. The state forest department had earlier argued before the ministry that the road should not be treated as a component of the mining project but as public infrastructure serving a mining area. According to the state government, ownership of the road will eventually be transferred to the public works department. The proposal underwent substantial changes during the approval process. Earlier project documents envisaged a 7.5-km road as part of Vedanta’s mining plan. By December 2025, however, when the company submitted its final environmental impact assessment (EIA) report, the