A protest against the project, in Birbhum on Sunday. (Express Photo) The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Jai Kisan Andolan and a gamut of other social organisations gathered in Deocha Pachami in Birbhum district on Sunday to protest against the proposed coal mining project in the area.
Earlier in February, the organisations had joined hands and launched the ‘Birbhum Jomi, Jeebon, Jeebika o Prokriti Bachao Mahasabha’ to protest against the proposed Deocha Pachami coal mining project and leveled allegations of forced land acquisition and violence against tribals and women. The organisations are demanding a withdrawal of the Deocha Panchami coal project.
Avik Saha National Secretary of Jai Kisan Andolan, an organisation that is also a part of the movement, said that more than 1,000 people had assembled during the protest.
“We had given a ‘no to coal mining’ call to the locals. Responding to this, over 1,000 people had joined the protest meet. They declared in one voice that they will not provide their land for the project and have rejected the compensation package,” Saha told this newspaper.
The Deocha Pachami-Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block has an estimated 2,102 million tonne of coal and is spread across 9.7 km. In November 2021, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had announced a Rs 10,000-crore compensation and rehabilitation package for the project. The region is home to 3,010 families, including 1,013 from tribal communities
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