Bauxite out of bounds, Vedanta now turns to laterite deposits

 With hopes of mining bauxite in Niymagiri hills virtually dashed, Vedanta Aluminum Limited (VAL) is now eyeing laterite deposits in Rayagada district for raw material for its Lanjigarh refinery.

The company sought permission for extracting laterite deposits at Sagabari, Panabara and Arotokoni villages spread over 113 hectare under Kashipur block of Rayagada in. The deputy director of mines, Koraput, on Friday forwarded VAL's application and its preliminary report to the Rayagada administration.

Mining experts said laterite soil carries 20 to 25% bauxite.

"If the company gets the government nod to extract laterite deposits, its bauxite problem could be sorted out to some extent. The whole process will take a few months," said mining officer (Koraput) S P Nanda.

Rayagada collector Sashi Bhusan Padhi said, "After going through the report and the application, we will make necessary inquiries. We will then send our report to the director of mines and the department of steel and mines."

However, there is no guarantee that anti-mining bodies will not oppose laterite extraction too.