Auction of nine coal blocks in Odisha by the Central Government would be destructive as it would displace thousands of tribals and farmers and destroy thousands acres of agriculture land. Thus, the State Government should stop it.
Lok Shakti Abhiyan president Prafulla Samantara urged this in a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.
“There will be destruction of thousands acres of agriculture land in Chendipada area where there is coal under three feet beneath the earth. Similarly, huge forest areas will be lost in both two districts of Keonjhar and Jharsuguda,” wrote Samantara.
He mentioned that another very sensitive deep green forest in the Gandhalpada area in Keonjhar district having nine lakh Saal trees, where auction for mining of iron ores would be done by the State Government, would be affected.
“All these natural resources have to be protected and conserved not only for the present but also for future generations as generational equitable justice,” he remarked.
He appraised that the Jharkhand Government has filed objection in the Supreme Court against arbitrary decision on auction of nine coal blocks there and the Union Government excluded five coal blocks in Chhattisgarh in view of its protest.
“You can also stop the anti-people and anti-nature auction of rich natural resources of our State in the interest thousands’ right to livelihood and climate justice. I appeal you to stop the destruction in the name of development,” Samantara urged the CM.