Around 10,000 affected people, including women, of proposed Mahaguj coal mining project at Chhendipda on Tuesday gheraoed the tehsil office and blocked Angul-Chhendipada road as part of their massive protest against land acquisition.
The Mahaguj coal mining project is a joint venture between the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company limited and the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation. Ahmedabad-based Adani Group’s flagship company Adani Enterprises has won rights to develop and operate the coal block.
The firm had lined up an investment of around `2,500 crore for developing the coal block, which has a capacity to produce an annual production of 40 million tonne. It also plans to set up a coal washery.
However, the Mahaguj project has been facing frequent protests by the affected villagers of four panchayats. In December 2011, the villagers had disrupted a public hearing held for obtaining environment clearance for the project. Despite protest from the locals, the administration has miserably failed to address the issues of the affected people. The RPDAC in a meeting on Monday only discussed the demands of the people and the New land Acquisition Act.
leader of the agitating villagers Mahendra Majhi said, “There is an attempt to forcibly acquire land for the coal mine project. As such, the decisions of a RPDAC meeting held earlier were manipulated. Here, the people are not interested to give away their land but the company wants to acquire it by hook or crook. Hence, it has appointed a band of goons and is paying them `4,000 each to spread terror in the locality. We want that this heinous practice be stopped.”
Senior official of Adani PK Panda told that so far the company has appointed about 130 persons. However, the present Collector has told us to halt further appointment.”
Joint Action Network of Mines Affected Territory (JANMAT), an apex body of activists of Odisha, Chhatisgarah and Jharkhanda, demanded that the Government respect the sentiment of the locals and de-allocate the coal block.