The government of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh has issued orders to halt all development work at NMDC Limited’s greenfield iron ore project at Bailadila Deposit 13, a government official said on Wednesday, June 12.
The order for stoppage of work was issued by the Chhattisgarh government in response to the indefinite strike and blockade of the project site by the local indigenous population, the official said.
The order for the halt of all project development work on Bailadila Deposit 13 also included the government decision to investigate complaints of a “fake” meeting held by the local population in 2014 which had ostensibly given the assent of the local population to the project, the official added.
A three-member team of government officials will also probe violation and deforestation of the hillside where the iron ore project is being developed, the order for the halt of work also indicated.
NMDC had undertaken the greenfield development of Bailadila Deposit 13 through NMDC-CMDC Limited, a joint venture between NMDC and Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Limited, with planned production of 10 million mt per year of iron ore from the iron ore block.