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Journalism of Courage
The recommendation of the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee to revoke the environmental clearance for the Vendanta Alumina’s refinery in Kalahandi has landed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in a soup with the opposition demanding his resignation.
The president of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee, Jaydeb Jena, asked Patnaik to step down for showing undue favour to Vedanta. Orissa Gana Parishad chief Bijay Mohapatra alleged that the deal has exposed the facade of transparency maintained by the Chief Minister.
The State Government, however, tried to turn the tables on the Congress today by maintaining that the deal with Vedanta Alumina, allowing mining of bauxite ore from Niyamgiri hills, was signed in 1997 and the Chief Minister should not be blamed for this.
