Gram sabhas which have considered issues have so far objected to projects to be set up by Vedanta The Supreme Court today extended the time for gram sabhas in Odisha to decide on allowing mining in the mineral-rich regions where Vedanta proposes to set up alumina refinery and other projects. Out of ten sabhas, two are yet to consider the issues and therefore the court extended the time till August 19. The gram sabhas which have considered the issues have so far objected to the projects. In April this year, the court had ruled that the gram sabhas are “free to consider all the community, individual as well as cultural and religious claims, over and above the claims which have already been received from Rayagada and Kalahandi Districts.” The state government as well as the Ministry of Tribal Affairs were asked to assist the gram sabhas for settling of individual as well as community claims after explaining the issues to them. The gram sabhas were asked to take a decision within three months. This deadline was extended by a bench headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan. The MoEF can take a final decision on the grant of Stage II clearance for the bauxite mining project only in the light of the decisions of the gram sabhas within two months of receiving it. The main judgment was passed when Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), an Orissa undertaking, approached the court seeking to quash the order passed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in August 2010 rejecting the Stage-II forest clearance for diversion of 660.749 hectares of forest land for mining of bauxite ore in Lanjigarh Bauxite Mines in Kalahandi and Rayagada Districts.