Plea at HC seeks probe into Deocha Pachami coal mining proj

Kolkata: Directing the state to clarify at the next hearing whether majority issues are pending at the division bench of the Chief Justice, a Single Bench of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday held back its decision to get into the merits of a petition that called for independent probe while seeking Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the coal mining project at Deocha Pachami in Birbhum.

The bench of Justice Amrita Sinha was assured by the state that it would represent a comprehensive chart revealing the details of the same. The state submitted that the matters filed in the instant writ petition are similar with issues flagged in a PIL that is pending before the division bench of Chief Justice.

The instant petition filed at the single bench alleged that the Deocha Pachami project is being executed in violations of environmental, statutory, and procedural norms. It alleged that West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) engaged in “salami slicing” by fragmenting the project into smaller parts to evade category A environmental scrutiny. Environmental clearance for basalt mining was granted separately, ignoring its intrinsic connection to coal extraction.

The state submitted that environmental clearance for coal mining will be sought but public consultation for the same is not required at this stage of basalt mining. After hearing submissions of all parties, the bench directed the state to place the comparative chart before it at the next hearing on March 5.