London, July 28 - British mining giant Vedanta said Tuesday it is going ahead with plans to mine a bauxite-rich hillside in Orissa considered sacred land by local tribals, and urged two international NGOs to give up their protest campaign.

'We are proceeding with the mining plans but there are still a few permissions that need to be granted,' Zoe Watt, a spokeswoman for Vedanta Resources, told IANS after a high-profile protest at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders in London Monday.

The protest was led by international human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger and Indian-origin musician Nitin Sawhney but Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy was unable to attend.

'It should be remembered that that there is no habitation in the mining area itself. Every hill is sacred (to the tribals). It's difficult, given that this is only one small area in a vast region,' Watt added.

The Kondh tribals of Orissa say they worship the Nyamgiri mountains as the abode of their deity Nyam Raja but Vedanta -- owned by Indian-born billionaire Anil Aggarwal -- says mining activities will lead to jobs, schools, hospitals and greater prosperity.

Vedanta also said it shared 'concerns' raised by some of its shareholders about the campaigns of two non-government organisations, ActionAid and Survival.

'The Supreme Court, in its decision to approve the project has taken account of their views and the many benefits in terms of employment, education and healthcare, that the project will bring,' the company said in a statement.