The Angul district administration was forced to call off a public hearing for the Mahaguj Colliery limited’s Machhakuta opencast coalmine at Chendipada as hundreds of villagers demolished the stage erected for the purpose on Wednesday.
Hundreds of people belonging to Bagadia and Machakut gram panchayts went berserk opposing the project. Stating that the fertile land covering the coalmine gives them subsistence, they didn’t allow the Sub-Collector, ADM and Pollution Control Board officials to reach the meeting place.
Hundreds people were reportedly injured as the police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the agitating people. The villagers also stoned at police, injuring some of them.
The people have been opposing the public hearing since the Supreme Court declared all coal block allocations since 1993 are illegal.
leading social activist Prafulla Samantara said last year the State Pollution Control Board had fixed a place for a public hearing far from the affected villages and responding to a petition by villagers, the High Court had ordered a stay on the hearing.
He said the Central government had told the court that it is willing to accept the cancellation of all coal blocks barring 46 which are in operation or ready to operate.
Since the list of 46 blocks submitted by the Central Government to the apex court does not include the Machhakut-Bagadia coal block, there is no justification for a public hearing on it, Samantara argued. The first public hearing for this project was postponed in 2011 due to violent protests staged by villagers. Some project affected people of nine villages had attacked the local MlA besides setting the venue stage on fire.