Eye on coal project, Bengal lifts land purchase embargo
KOLKATA/SURI: The Bengal government has withdrawn the financial embargo on land acquisition and purchase, which it had imposed earlier as a part of an austerity drive.
The embargo was lifted a week ago as CM Mamata Banerjee wished to flag off the Deucha Panchami coal project in Birbhum before the 2021 assembly polls. The coal block has a reserve of 2.1 billion tonnes and the project is likely to create jobs for 1 lakh people.
On April 2, the state had made it clear that it would not undertake any new project. However, the embargo has been withdrawn “in public interest” and considering the finance department will give its nod, an official said.
Banerjee had sent chief secretary Rajiva Sinha on a field visit to Deucha Panchami in July, apparently to assess possible bottlenecks, including how acquisition hurdles could be bypassed. Sinha had held meetings with villagers and assured them of a rehabilitation/resettlement package.
Mining activity in the coal block is expected to boost Birbhum’s economy and it will be the biggest industrial project before the 2021 polls. The Centre had granted allocation to Bengal in September 2019 and the state government is planning to mine 11,222.5 acres in phases. A Nabanna official said the government planned to begin land purchase/acquisition after Durga Puja.
The state has already formed Bengal Birbhum Coalfields Limited (BBCL) to anchor the project under the Power Development Corporation. A Nabanna official said investments to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore were needed to develop the coal block and a huge chunk of it would be spent on land acquisition and development.
Neither tribal land owners nor non-tribals are enthusiastic about handing over their ancestral plots to the government, prompting the latter to mull special rehabilitation packages. Anticipating resistance, the state is also planning to employ a section of local land owners.
The mouzas that are expected to be largely affected are Hatgacha, Chanda, Alinagar, Harinsingha, Nischintapur, Ddewanganj, Bahadurganj, Kabilnagar, Saluka and Makdumnagar. A senior official said all villagers “who are living on project land will be rehabilitated and the CM has made it clear that there will be no forcible acquisition”. A land official refused to give an exact estimate of acres needed, saying “the government wants to progress in phases”.
A member of Panchami Mine Owners Association said, “We are not against coal mining here, but demand adequate compensation for stone units and their labourers.”
