Stakeholders, people’s representatives, NGOs oppose Bander mine

Chandrapur: Stepping up the agitation against the auctioning of Bander coal block in the northern corridor of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, NGO Eco-Pro on Monday took out a bike rally to create awareness among villages in the buffer zone about the ill effects of mining on forest, wildlife and forest dwellers. The NGO and people’s representatives of Chimur tehsil came together at the coal block site to flay the Union government’s move, which they said would destroy tiger habitat and pristine forest.
“We will fight tooth and nail against any attempt of mining in Bander coal block. It will destroy the key northern corridor of Tadoba. Man-animal conflict is already at its peak in Chimur tehsil, and it will further flare up due to mining,” said president of NGO Tarun Paryawarn Mandal Amod Ghaurkar.
President of Eco-Pro Bandu Dhotre claimed their objective was to highlight the threat to stakeholders, people’s representatives and wildlife NGOs in the area. “They all have now come together to oppose the auctioning. We all have resolved to oppose every move in sanctioning process, if mining is allowed here,” he told TOI.
Panchayat Samiti member Azhar Sheikh and some village heads from the area also took part in the protest. Sheikh claimed the coal block had been twice rejected for being detrimental to Tadoba and its tigers, and there is no sense in taking it up for auctioning again. “Stakeholder will gain nothing from the mine. Locals will lose precious agricultural land and at least six villages will have to be rehabilitated,” he pointed out.
He claimed there was no prospect of locals gaining employment from proposed mine. WCL had started Murpar coal mine just 2.5 kilometre from Bander and just 2% stakeholders had gained employment from it, he said.
President of Chimur-based Paryawarn Sanwardhan Sanghatna Kavadu Lohakare claimed both local stakeholders and wildlife activists are irked by the auction. “If the mine comes up, northern tiger corridor of Tadoba will be lost along with 1,200 hectares of dense forest. At least three tigers living in Bander forest will lose their habitat and water level in all surrounding villages will go down,” he warned.
Earlier in the morning, Dhotre led a large bike-rally of wildlife activists from Chandrapur. The rally reached Moharli gate of Tadoba and then took a circuit through buffer area passing through Sitarampeth, Ashta, Khadsangi villages and reached Bander, where a protest was held with locals and NGOs. Later, the bike rally returned to Chandrapur in evening making a full circle around TATR core through buffer villages of Palasgaon, Shivni and Mul.