Villagers with proof of ownership of their village land gather at special camps organised by the West Bengal government to get updated and corrected ownership paperwork from the land reforms department in Birbhum, West Bengal
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI
Local activists from West Bengal’s Birbhum district, where mining work started in the Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harisingha (DPDH) coal block on February 6 this year, have demanded the project be cancelled, alleging displacement of thousands of indigenous people from their lands in Mohammed Bazar block.
At a press conference in Kolkata on Friday (February 21, 2025), activists of Deocha Pachami Gramsabha Samyani Hul Committee, Prakriti Bachao and Adivasi Bachao Manch (South Bengal), Birbhum Jeevan Jeevika O Bhumi Raksha Committee, and other organisations called for a complete halt to mining work at DPDH, demanding a pollution-free environment and overall development in the area.
“Around 21,000 people will be displaced by government estimates. Of them, 9,034 are tribals and 3,601 belong to Scheduled Castes. 4,314 houses will also have to be razed,” their statement said.
Dumping of mining waste
They also claimed that a total of 11,200 acres would be used for dumping mining waste and other ancillary needs, of which 9,100 acres are owned by tribals who have ancestral houses and agricultural land.
“It is clear that the indigenous people will be the most affected. By our estimates about 42 to 50 villages will be affected and more than 50,000 people will be displaced. The coal mine will adversely affect the surrounding areas, resulting in people being forced to evacuate themselves from the region to save their lives,” Rajen Tudu, convenor of Prakriti Bachao and Adivasi Bachao Manch (South Bengal) said.
Forest land in coal block area
He also alleged that parts of the coal block area are forest land, and said that the DPDH coal mine project is “violating the rights of the tribals to water, forest and land codified in the Forest Rights Act, 2006”.
“Locals understand that their livelihood and culture will also be endangered if they are permanently uprooted from their lands. Because the tribals live a land-dependent and forest-dependent life, displacement will endanger their nature-centric culture, their religion, and language,” said Sushil Murmu, President of the Deucha Panchami Gram Sabha Samyani Hul Committee.
“The colony life offered in the government’s proposed package goes against the ways of tribal life and their religious and cultural systems. This will cause their tribal identity to be lost,” he added.
Villagers not willing to lose land
Activists also alleged that villagers at the DPDH coal block area are not willing to lose their land in exchange for compensation, and “would not accept the package if there wasn’t any pressure from the administration”.
According to announcements by the Mamata Banerjee government, compensation for those who surrender their lands to the coal mining project includes monetary benefits of ₹39 lakhs per acre and a government job 9as junior police constable or Group D staff, based on education level) for one nominee of the family. Government officials added that if the nominee is a minor, a monthly subsistence allowance of ₹10,000 would be given till they turn 18.
In case of relocation, the government has so far announced additional benefits like roughly 0.05 acres of land and relocation to a new colony with pre-existing neighbours and utilities like places of worship, schools, etc.
“The DPDH coal mining project spans 3370.64 acres and houses 4,838 families. Ninety per cent of the families residing in the coal block have already given written consent,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said at the State Assembly on February 18.
Earlier, the Trinamool Congress supremo had announced that no land would be acquired forcefully. Notably, the party led by Ms Banerjee rose to power in West Bengal over grassroots movements against forcible land acquisition at Singur and Nandigram during the Left Front rule.
At Mohammed Bazar block, apprehensions continue to loom among villagers residing in close proximity to the project area over the future of their lands and the disbursal of promised compensation, especially jobs.
On Friday, several senior State government officials visited the project site to oversee the ongoing mining work and take note of issues being faced by locals.
Published – February 22, 2025 09:34 am IST
