Deocha Pachami Coal Block | West Bengal | 06 Mar 2025
Why in News?
Fresh protests by local villagers have halted ongoing basalt mining at the Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harisingha (DPDH) coal project in West Bengal’s Birbhum district.
Key Points
- Mass Gathering at Project Site:
- Around 300 villagers, mostly women and tribals from Mathura Pahari, Sagarbandi, and Chanda villages, gathered at the DPDH coal project site.
- They demanded a complete halt to mining work in the area.
- Villagers claim they were not informed before mining operations started.
- Symbolic Protest and Demands:
- Protesters planted a charka, a tribal tradition of placing sticks in the soil, to symbolize a stoppage of work until the charka is removed.
- They demanded a permanent halt to the coal project and improvements in civic amenities.
- Villagers rejected compensation, stating they would not leave their land for the project.
- Environmental and Social Concerns:
- Protesters raised concerns over environmental damage due to mining.
- They highlighted that tribals face arrest for entering forests, while entire forests are being cleared for coal mining.
- Dust from basalt mining is already affecting the local environment and health.
Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harisingha (DPDH)
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- Deaucha Panchami coal block of Birbhum Coalfield Area is World’s Second Largest Coal Block situated in West Bengal.
- This coal mine is the largest coal mine or coal block in Asia, due to the number of coal reserves.
- It is the newest coal mine in West Bengal.
- The proposed mining project at Birbhum coalfield Area has been recently in the news due to expected environmental concerns and displacement of the people from the same area.