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Article

2 May 2017

Author:
Reuters

Chhattisgarh villagers see no shine in Vedanta's gold mine in Sonakhan

The village of Sonakhan in the eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh...could soon be enveloped by India's first private gold mine...Residents of Sonakhan - 'sona' is gold in Hindi - sift for flecks of gold on the banks of the river Jonk during the monsoon rains. They voice fears the mine will up-end their lives...When they dig for the mine, they will cut down trees and damage the forest. They will make the water dirty. Where will we go?" said Rajesh Singh, who cultivates a small plot of land...We do not want to give it up to a big company that will destroy our homes...Vedanta, a unit of London-listed Vedanta Resources, last year won India's first auction of a gold mine, as the country opened up the sector to private companies...Residents of Sonakhan said they first heard of the auction in the national newspapers. There were no visits by government officials to brief them, nor village council meetings to discuss the impact of the mine, they said...Activists say mining activity will affect at least 24 villages in a range of 40-50 km.