Hundreds of villagers attend Health Camp at Chandanpur of Kalahandi

Vedanta Aluminium Limited, Lanjigarh organized a free Health Camp at Chandanpur village in Lanjigarh block of Kalahandi district, Orissa on June 22, 2011 at which nearly 300 villagers were examined and were distributed with medicines free of cost. The health Camp catered mostly people of nearby villages like Jodabandha, Gopinathapur, Nutanbaterlima, Khamankhunti and Chandanpur.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Mukesh Kumar said, “Vedanta Aluminium is concerned and will always take care the health care of tribal people in the region. We regularly organize health camps at nearby villages to make a healthy society around Lanjigarh. Recently we organized camps at Chhatrapur, Basantpada etc.”

Present on the occasion from VAL were Dr. R C Rout – Head-CSR, Ms Niharika Sahoo, Sweety Mukherjee, Surya Panigrahi and Padmini Sahu of CSR department. CDPO Pragyan Rani Barik was also present along with many Local leaders of Chandanpur.

Dr. Sabita Swain, Chief Medical Officer of Vedanta Hospital, Dr. Malaya Tripathy, MO (I/c) Govt. Hospital, Biswanthapur, Dr. S. K. Mishra, MS (Ortho), Dr. A. K. Sahu, Vedanta Aluminium Limited were present at the Health Camp to treat the patient.

Health & MHU Team of VAL went to nearby villages of the venue as a part of pre-publicity step to inform the villagers about the camp and doctors availability during the Health Camp about a week back.

VAL organizes health camps at nearby villages around Lanjigarh regularly which is a part of its aim to make a healthy society.

Ministry of Environment: No Toxic Leakage From Vedanta Aluminium's Refinery

NEW DELHI -(Dow Jones)- The ministry of environment and forests late Tuesday said there is no evidence of toxic leakage from the alumina refinery of Vedanta PLC's (VED.LN) India unit.

The London-based miner's Indian unit, Vedanta Aluminium Ltd., operates a 1 million metric tons a year alumina refinery in the eastern town of Lanjigarh.

Concerns were raised by Amnesty International and allegations in a section of the press regarding a leakage from the red mud pond of the alumina refinery because of heavy rain fall which polluted nearby water bodies, causing a high acidic level, the ministry said in a statement.

But the ministry said an investigation of water bodies around the refinery didn't show any increase in levels of acidity nor was there any breach in the red mud pond, which holds toxic refinery waste.

The federal government had earlier rejected Vedanta's proposal to mine the Niyamgiri hills near Lanjigarh to supply bauxite for the refinery. It has also declined permission to expand the refinery's production capacity to 6 million tons a year.

Source: FOX BUSINESS

Lanjigarh Observes World Environment Day

Loud slogans to care environment and to plant trees were heard from hundreds of school children and local leaders of Lanjigarh periphery area who participated in a ‘Green March’ organized by Vedanta Aluminium Limited, Lanjigarh to mark the World Environment Day-2011. Dr. Mukesh Kumar, President & COO – VAL, Lanjigarh made the flag up of the march who also led the rally.

The ‘Green March’ started from the VAL Township and covered villages like Jagganathpur, Kendubardi and Niyamgiri Vendanta Nagar. They made the villagers aware about the importance of environment and planting trees.

Initiating to convert dry lands into green valley, Dr. Mukesh Kumar announced that the time from June 5 to July 5, 2011 will be marked as ‘Green Month’ where thousands of saplings will be planted. “Since four to five years we have been organizing World Environment Day, likewise this year also. This year we have a special plan of planting more than 35,000 trees in 50 acres of land at and around Lanjigarh area.”

Dr. Mukesh Kumar planted a lot of trees along with other employees of VAL like Rajesh Mohata, Head–Commercial; G Venkat Reddy, Head–Power Plant; Dr. R C Rout – Head CSR & Environment; Satya Sahu from Environment and also local leaders like Sridhara Pesnia–President Lanjigahr Anchalika Vikas Parishad, Chandra Pesnia, Senapati Naik, Lanjigarh Sarapanch Saraswati Munda and several school children.

These plantations were organized at the VAL alumina refinery area, Chhatrapur village and other nearby areas. Dr. Mukesh Kumar encouraged the employees and local people of the nearby villagers to save environment and to plant trees to make the area green and beautiful.

The locals of Lanjigarh area were contended looking at the initiative taken by VAL-Lanjigarh. “Vedanta’s decision to plant 35 thousand trees at Lanjigarh area is a noble initiative. Every year they observe World Environment Day and plant trees but the idea of ‘Green Month’ is very impressive which will definitely make Lanjigarh greener.”