MLAs S.R Patjioshi & Nilamadhaba Hikaka commit to Es calate Bauxite Mine Opening Issue toCM• Lanjigarh Erupts in Protest Signalling Boiling Point as Fate of Over 3 Lakh Lives Hangs in BalanceAssurances fromLanjigarh, Rayagada and DharmagarhMLAsbring hope for bauxite mineopening to Kalahandi Locals

Bhubaneswar: Two MLAsIn Sudhir Ranjan Pattjoshi (Dharmagarh) and Nilamadhaba Hikaka, MLA (Bissam Cuttack) Monday supported the Kalahandi locals’ long pending demand for opening of bauxite mines in Lanjigarh. They assured that they would take up the issue with the Odisha chief minister.

Earlier, Lanjigarh MLA, Pradip Kumar Dishari had also committed to personally take up the issue with the chief minister highlighting that bauxite mining with mandated safeguards is both an economic necessity and a social imperative.

Their commitment came amid continued demonstrations under the banner of Lanjigarh Anchalik Vikash Parishad (LAVP), where nearly 5,000 villagers, youth, womnen and community leaders gathered recently in a massive protest at Lanjigarh demanding the immediate opening of local bauxite mines, sending a clear message that delay is no longer an option.

Speaking on the matter, Pattjoshi said , “The survival of more than three lakh people in Kalahandi depends on this. Our youth are migrating, our families are struggling, and our future is uncertain. I stand firmly with the people of Kalahandi in this just demand and assure that I will raise the matter with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha so that our voices are heard at the highest level.”

He emphasized that Odisha holds some of the world’s richest bauxite reserves, yet India continues to import millions of tonnes annually at a huge cost to the national treasury.

“This is both an economic loss and an injustice to mineral-rich districts like Kalahandi,” he noted, “stressing that responsible and sustainable mining must happen here so that the benefts directly reach the local communities rather than being drained away through imports.”

Nilamadhaba Hikaka, MLA BissamCuttack (Rayagada District) said, ” This is not just a Kalahandi issue, it is a lifeline for the entire region including Rayagada. If mining is done responsibly, with the safeguards already laid down by the Supreme Court, it can generate employment, improve infrastructure, and upliftl ocal communities. I stand with the people in this rightful demand and will continue to push for a solution that ensures both development and dignity.”