A high-level delegation led by West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha held discussions with locals to allay their concerns about the Deocha-Pachami coal mining project in Birbhum.
The state government is keen to kick-start the project at the world’s second largest coal block, with an estimated 2,102 million tons of reserves, ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.
The delegation met with around 50 people, including the leader of the tribal organization and representatives of local authorities.
‘We came here to directly talk to the people concerned. We have replied to all their queries, and clearly mentioned that it is a state government project, not a private one,’ Sinha said.
‘The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL) will initially use the coal excavated from the mine.The entire project area is around 3,500 acre, but we will implement it in phases,’ he added.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, later in the day, said in a tweet that her government will create ‘a model for India’ to execute large projects like the Deocha-Pachami coal block.
‘Chief Secretary Shri Rajiva Sinha ji, other senior state & district officials have held detailed consultation with the people of Md Bazar Block at Deocha. The entire coal mining project was explained at length & all queries by the relevant stakeholders were addressed.
‘This shall be done in phases & with full public support by adopting best mining practices in a time-bound manner,’ Banerjee said.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP claimed that the government of the state had fooled the people of Birbhum before the polling stations.
Shyamapada Mondal, district president of the BJP, said, “Before every election in the last few years, the Chief Minister has talked about this project to defeat the people of Birbhum. The state government knows that it is beyond its capacity to implement this project.
