Kolkata: In the wake of protests by tribals, fearing they will be evicted from their lands and environment will be affected due to the Deocha Pachami coal mining project, the state government has sought to clarify that no land grabbing will take place while underground mining will ensure zero adverse environmental impact.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee promised a lucrative compensation package and promised that no land would be forcibly acquired. She had claimed that her government will not let another Singur incident take place by forcibly acquiring land for industry purposes. She had claimed that in the Deocha Pachami project, which spans some 3.04 lakh acres, around 1 lakh makes for government-owned land.
The present clarification by state comes in the wake of a recent protest march in Central Kolkata organised by activists and locals from villages in and around the Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harisingha (DPDH) coal mining project in Birbhum district. They sloganeered and carried banners with slogans ‘Cancel Deocha Pachami coal block’ and ‘no eviction, no coal block’.
PB Salim, managing director, West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL), the executing agency in the project, met the representatives of the tribal organisations and assured no lands will be grabbed, no eviction will be made. He reportedly said that ones that would voluntarily surrender their lands in writing, only their lands will be utilised for the project.
He explained that there is no question of eviction since underground mining is being taken up and not open cast mining. This will ensure that land surface remains unaffected, thus also alleviating fears of adverse environmental impact.
A WBPDCL official said NIRM, Bengaluru, has been entrusted with the scientific study of the coal block to reinforce the importance of adopting a sustainable and environment-friendly mining approach in line with scientific recommendations. “At present, an area of 326 acres has been identified to undertake the Basalt mining up to a depth of 80 metre. In the 326 acres of area, there is no surface infrastructure, including human habitation. Therefore, the dislodgement and relocation of human habitation does not arise,” added the official.
In February, after a petition at Calcutta High Court flagged ‘environmental concerns’ surrounding the project, the state had submitted in court that environmental clearance for coal mining will be sought but public consultation for the same is not required at this stage of basalt mining.