West Bengal: Deucha Pachami Residents vow to Thwart Coal Mine

Kolkata: "Deucha Pachami will resist the establishment of a coal mine in the area at all costs," said Ratan Hembram, a Deucha Pachami resident, speaking at a massive rally organised on behalf of the Deucha Pachami Livelihood Protection Committee and several mass organisations.

The Deucha Pachami coal block project has been mired in controversy due to land acquisition issues. The proposed open-cast mine is set to displace thousands of people, including many tribals. The majority of the land in this area belongs to the tribals, but it has been taken on lease by some industrial groups for their stone-crushing units. The Mamata Banerjee government has faced protests and opposition from locals who have raised concerns about displacement and inadequate rehabilitation measures. 

"The government is now spending lakhs to acquire lands of the tribals. If the government has such a soft corner towards the inhabitants of the area, then why are there no hospitals or schools in Deucha Pachami? Why are we suffering from death by inhaling the poisonous air of stone-crushing units?" asked Hembram.

He also questioned why the hostels meant for tribal students, set up during the Left Front regime, are now in dilapidated condition. Saying this, he warned the Trinamool Congress government against setting up a coal mine in the area. 

The rally was called under the aegis of different mass organisations and was attended by DYFI state secretary Minakshi Mukherjee among others. In her speech, Minakshi Mukherjee strongly attacked the state government, saying that 14 land stretches in the state have been allotted for setting up Special Economic Zones, which are not being utilised, while the land belonging to 21,000 people from 4,500 families in the area is under threat. She asked whether the government's intention is to excavate the stones first and then the coal. She also raised questions about whether any cultural rehabilitation package for the area has been taken up by the state government. 

Among those present in the meeting was Ramchandra Dom, the general secretary of the Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch. Nirapada Sardar, Ashoke Murmu, Shankar Sanyal, and Subodh Hansda also spoke in the meeting, which was presided over by former Vice Chancellor of Jadavpur University, Askhoknath Basu, among others. Prof Basu also raised a proposal in the convention in support of the agitating residents.

The West Bengal government has embarked on an open-cast coal mine project in the area, which is being resisted by the local populace. It is being said that the project has been so unprofitable that even the central government-administered Coal India Limited was not willing to invest in it due to geological hindrances, that is a 225-245 metre-wide basalt rock system that makes the entire coal excavation process unviable.

In November 2021, the state government had "unilaterally" declared a compensation and rehabilitation package without going through any mass redressal of grievances, which is mandatory as per the Land Acquisition Act 2013. The state government has also faced criticism for not following proper procedures for land acquisition and for ignoring the grievances of local residents.

The Deucha Panchami coal block is the newest coal mine in West Bengal. It is situated in Deucha and Panchamati areas under the Mohammad Bazar community development block. This coal mine is set to be excavated in an open-cast fashion and will displace over 10,000 people from 11 villages. It will also affect about 53 hamlets and 70,000 people in the surrounding areas. 

As per sources, about 10 mouzas will be affected due to the open-cast mine. A total of 4,314 families comprising 21,000 people will be evicted from their homeland, of which 9,034 people are Santhals (a major tribal group) and 3,601 persons are from the Schedule Castes. 

The proposed mine will occupy over 11,222 acres. Of these, over 9,100 acres belong to tribals. 

In September 2018, an agreement between the central government and the state government-owned West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) allocated the land in question to the corporation. The state government has failed to start work on the ground for two years.