For over two weeks, thousands of residents from 14 villages in Tamnar block in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district have been protesting against a coal mine project, saying they do not want to give up their agricultural land which has been the only source of livelihood for many of them for generations.
Protesters claimed the public hearing — a mandatory part of the process of giving environmental clearance for a project — was conducted in an unfair manner. But the district administration rejected the claim, saying the hearing was conducted fairly and that every affected villager would be given adequate compensation.
The Jindal Group, which was awarded the project through auction, said it would continue engagement with local residents to find a solution.
A sit-in protest that started on December 12 took a violent turn on Saturday, after police tried to remove around 50 women, who were sitting on the road next to the protest side — the Cold Handling Plant Chowk in Libra village — and were trying to stop mining-related vehicles. Police started taking them one by one off the road, which angered villagers. Soon after, a mob of over 4,000 people gathered at the spot, outnumbering police. The mob went on a rampage, torching three vehicles and clashing with police personnel. Two senior officers were seriously injured, police said.
The public hearing against which the protest took place was for the establishment of an open-cast-cum-underground coal mine with an area of 3,020 hectares and a production capacity of 15 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in 14 villages of Tamnar block. The villages are Budhiya, Raipara, Amgaon, Khuruslenga, Dhorabhatha, Libra, Bijna, Mehloi, Bagbari, Jhinkabahal, Tilaipara, Samkera, Jharna and Tangarghat.
On Saturday, protest turned violent, resulting in torched vehicles and clashes with police.
Reacting to Saturday’s violence, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said an inquiry would be conducted. “The incident in Tamnar will be investigated, and action will be taken against whoever is found guilty,” Sai said.
District Collector Mayank Chaturvedi on Sunday called a meeting with representatives of the protesting villagers. Subsequently, Sub Divisional Magistrate Durga Prasad Adhikari said, “We have had an initial-level discussion with all the village delegations, and we have now begun the process of cancellation (of the result of the public hearing). We have started working on the cancellation process, and I request and appeal to all the villagers and everyone present at the protest site to please maintain peace and not take the law into their own hands.”
“We respect all your demands, and for this, we have already commenced the work on one level of the cancellation process,” the SDM added.
The Indian Express visited the protest site on Friday and Saturday. Protesting villagers said they did not want their land to be acquired for the project. One of the protesters, Kamla Patel of Jhikabahal village, said, “I am an ordinary woman. I fear for my children. If I continue to protest, I might get arrested. We have some acres of land and farm rice once a year due to water scarcity. Our demand is for the cancellation of the public hearing. We do not want to sell the land at all.”
Murlidhar Nayank, 42, from Aamgaon, said, “Our demand is we do not want the mines at all because of environmental concerns, as we still have our house here. Secondly, we will lose our agricultural land, and over 90% are skilled farmers who are dependent on it. We don’t have many options for livelihood; we do not have other skills.”
Another Aamgaon resident, who did not want to be named, said, “My father is a farmer. We will face problems if our farmland is gone. I will not give up my land at any cost. It’s our identity. The ones who lose land have nowhere to go. It’s our ancestral land.”
‘Compensation, job, alternate place of residence’
Minutes before the violence took place on Saturday, Collector Chaturvedi had told The Indian Express, “The public hearing on December 8 was comprehensive. There were 4,000 people present during the meeting, but they did not want to participate despite being asked multiple times to do so. The meeting went on for around two and a half hours. Some 26 people participated, and a majority were in favour of giving environmental clearance. The villagers will get three things — monetary compensation for their land, job for one member from every family, and the offer of an alternate place of residence.”
Pradeep Tandon, president of Jindal Steel, told The Indian Express, “The public hearing was conducted by the government in accordance with due process, and we have placed our views and commitments on record. A comprehensive and fair compensation package is being extended to affected villagers. As mining activities will be undertaken in a phased manner, land will be acquired slowly over the next 30-40 years, and we will continue constructive engagement with local residents to address their concerns and ensure a mutually acceptable and peaceful resolution.”