land owners of Amarapali coal block of Chatra district has threatened to self immolate themselves at the Chief Minister residence if their demands are not met within a day’s time. The residents have taken the step to press for their 13-point demands which include assured facilities from the coal block holder.In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Raghubar Das the land owners sought setting up local sale committee headed by DC and CO besides adequate compensation for damaged houses from blasting, water and electricity facilities, jobs and rehabilitation for displaced and removal of General Manager of the Amarpali coal block Manoj Kumar and PS in-charge of Tandwa.
The agitators are led by Congress MlA from Barkagao Nirmla Devi who also claimed that coal block was shutdown earlier with similar demands. “The demands were ignored and the mine got opened by imposing Section-144 in the area and taking help of police and naxals. Also the villagers were implicated in false cases and got frightened by goons,” reads the letter signed by several land holders.
The villagers while calling their agitation as Gandhian way of protest have given time till July 3 to act on their demands and take back the cases slapped against them. Failing to this, the letter says, the Chief Minister would be responsible for the collective self immolation.
