Bhubaneswar, Jan 19: The central empowered committee of the Supreme Court has asked the Orissa government to furnish its written reply within four weeks to certain points raised against the alumina project at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.

Vedanta Alumina had entered into an agreement with the state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation to explore the Niyamgiri mines allotted to it.

The two-member central team, which visited Kalahandi last month, observed that Vedanta?s Rs 4,000-crore project and related mining activity in the Niyamgiri area of Kalahandi district will have an adverse impact on the environment, the 14-page report said.

The team recommended appropriate action against Vedanta for clearing village forestland in violation of the Forest Conservation Act and cutting trees at the project site without proper sanction of the competent authority.

The committee yesterday held a hearing on the report of the two-member team where its members N.K. Joshi, Valmik Thapar, Mahendra Vyas and M.K. Jiwrajka sought clarifications from Orissa forest secretary Aurobindo Behera, mines secretary Bhaskar Chatterjee and principal chief conservator of forests, P.R. Mohanty, on five points.

The points raised were:

Whether the proposed project can be shifted to any other places other than Niyamgiri and Karlapat

Under what circumstances the ministry of environment approved the project

What steps have been taken for rehabilitation of the displaced people

The government?s replies to the petitions filed against the proposed project and,

Explanation on exploration of mines in other areas and destroying village forest apart from the lease area where Vedanta is scheduled to explore its mining work.

Officials of the state government said since Orissa is a poor and backward state, there is a need for industrialisation to tide over its sagging economy. But the committee, which was not satisfied with the answer, asked the officials to come up with better reasons within four weeks.

In Orissa, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the Congress was against the industrialisation of the state.

?It?s their agenda to stall anything progressive. But the process of industrialisation will not be hampered,? he told reporters here today.