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Odisha gifts thorium deposits to Vedanta
PNS | Bhubaneswar/New Delhi
6000 acres for varsity project contain rich nuclear material, admits Centre
The sprawling 6,000 acres of land allotted by the Odisha Government to set up a world class university near Puri contains large quantity of thorium. Pressure has mounted on the State Government to scrap allotment of the land to Vedanta group after the Centre last week made this startling admission in response to a question put up BJP MP Rudra Narayan Pany.
Pany had specifically asked if there is any possibility of generating atomic energy from the material found in the sea sand of 6,000 acres of coastal land near Puri, which was allocated by the Government to Vedanta.
In response, Union Minister of Science &Technology and Earth Sciences told the Rajya Sabha that in Odisha, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) had identified 1.82 million tonnes of thorium bearing monazite resources.
“Thorium is a fertile element and can be converted into fissile material to produce atomic energy in the third stage of Nuclear Power Programme of India,” he said.
The revelation will force the Centre to act because under Article 297 of the Constitution all underground resources come under its control.
“This is a serious matter. The Odisha Government must scrap the land allotment to Vedanta at once,” Pany told The Pioneer. “I’m going to write to the Prime Minister to take cognisance of the sensitivity of the matter and its implication for national security and direct the State to take back the land from Vedanta,” he said.
Pany said cutting across party lines several prominent leaders of Odisha have contacted him and expressed their concerns over the issue. “I hope to mobilise major public opinion and protest on this issue in the State,” he said.
A BJP parliamentary committee team had recently visited the proposed Vedanta University site and slammed the State Government for giving so much of prime land for setting up the proposed university. Even at that point of time, leader of the BJP legislative party in Orissa KV Singhdeo had alleged that providing land to Vedanta has become more controversial after it was found that it had rare mineral deposits which could be utilised for generating power.
After several members raised this issue in Odisha Assembly on Wednesday, Higher Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said no one should be worried about it. “Vedanta has given the surface right only to use the land. If any mineral is found in the land, the land would ultimately go to the Centre as per the provision of the Constitution,” he said.
Raising this issue during the Zero Hour in the Assembly, senior Congress member Santosh Singh Saluja said after the issue of thorium came to light the land allotted to Vedanta has become a cause of concern. “If the enriched thorium goes outside the country and is utilised for atomic purpose, it would put India on a tough spot. Around 10.80 lakh MT of thorium is deposited in this area. If the thorium is taken out from the land, the level of the sea would go up and the entire Puri town would be submerged under sea,” Saluja warned, adding there is chance that Puri Sri Jagannath Temple would be submerged.
Demanding the scarpping of the deal, Saluja said Government should take steps to take away the land from Vedanta. NCP member Amar Satpathy also expressed his concern over this issue.
“The Centre should conduct a survey on this issue. Whether the land allotted to Vedanta has been surveyed or not,” Satpathy said, adding that the sea is marching towards the coast and people are worried about it. “The Government should make a statement on this issue,” he said.
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