New Delhi: Despite Centre rejecting environment clearance given to Vedanta group's proposed USD 1.7 billion bauxite mining project in Orissa, the company will stay in India, Vedanta Aluminium COO Mukesh Kumar said on Tuesday.
Kumar said that the company is "not frustrated" and is "not leaving India" despite the setback.
He added it was not given an opportunity by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to present its case.
"The mines do not belong to Vedanta...we will seek to present our case to MoEF once again," Kumar said.
Meanwhile, unhappy over Centre rejecting environment clearance to Vedanta group's project in the state, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had given no indication of the decision when he met him in Delhi on Monday.
"He (Ramesh) had never mentioned yesterday about this (rejection of clearance to Vedanta's mining project)," Patnaik told reporters.
Asked whether there was any politics behind the Centre's action, Patnaik said, "I hope this is not politics."
"These investments in Orissa were meant to generate jobs for the people and add to the state's revenue. Therefore, they should be given go ahead," he said, adding that tribal dominated backward district like Kalahandi had never received such a huge investment in the past.
Patnaik said his government would undertake a "detailed examination" of the Environment and Forest ministry's refusal to grant environment clearance to the project.
"The state government would undertake a detailed examination of the Union Environment and Forest ministry's rejection order and would take correct and appropriate steps on the matter," he said.
On the N C Saxena panel finding fault in implementation of forest rights act, forest conservation act and environment protection act, he said the state government worked on the directives of the Supreme Court while making progress on the mining project.
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