Many companies including Adani and Tata had come to our area with full support of the Central and State Governments with massive police force to operate coal mines in our area. We the farmers had aggressively and unitedly fought against them and they were ousted," told Basanta Pradhan of Bagedia village of Chhendipada Block.
Pradhan, who is a farmer leader and who also led several movements against coal minning in agriculture dominated Chhendipada area of Angul district, added, "Presentely as many as six coal mines are ready to start mining at Chhendipada block with stiff opposition of the affected people. Again at this moment the Government started process to auction as many as eight coal blocks for commercial mining. Total 14 coalmines in a small Chhendipada block will create environmental disaster and will seriously affect the life and livelihood of the local people. We will oppose it tooth and nail."
The coal mines of Odisha to be auctioned are Chendipada I, Chendipada II, Machhakata, Mahanadi, Radhikapur (East), Radhikapur (West), Brahmanbil and Kardabahal, Kuraloi (A) North, and Phuljhari (East and West).
President, Citizens Action Forum, Rabindra Prasad Pattanaik, has while strongly opposed operation of new coal blocks as Chhendipada - Angul -Talcher area is highly polluted. He appealed to the Government to scrap the auction process immediately.
"The private companies, those who earlier tried to forcibly grab the coal mines here were driven out by the locals. Thousands of agiteted people, including women, were brutally beaten in midnight by the goons of the companies and police. Those people are facing hundreds of cases for it. These companies are getting tacit support of the Government," said Pattanaik.
Notably, the auction process of 41 mines with total geological coal reserve of 17 billion tonne , which is aimed to open India’s coal sector for private players, has started as part of the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan of PM. Lunching the auctions process, which is expected to garner Rs 33,000 crore of capital investment in the country over next five to seven years, the PM told that India had taken a major decision to fully open the coal and mining sector for increased competition, capital, participation and technology.
However, on the other hand, opposing the move of the Government, several State Governments, environmentalists, people's organisations and Adivasi leaders told there are several coal blocks in biodiversity-rich forest land. Several mines up for auction on the website of MSTC Limited show many of them do not have the required forest clearance and are located amid protected forests.
Submitting that a proper social and environmental assesment related to the adverse impact on a huge tribal population and forest has not been done , the Jharkhand Government allready moved the SC against the Centre's decision to auction coal blocks for commercial mining. The Jharkhand Government in its plea sought a direction to the Union Coal Ministry to postpone the proposed commercial auction of coal mines.
Earlier people had violently opposed coal mines at Chendipada allocated in favour of Nalco, Tata and Adani. Hundreds of cases have been lodged against people, who had opposed coal mines earler. Several elephant corridors will be destroyed by these coal blocks.
Forums like the Citizens Action Forum and JANMAT opposed coal mining in the crtically polluted Angul - Talcher region and have upped the ante against privatisation of mining and attempt to operate new coal blocks.
President, Policy Development Initiatives(PDI), New Delhi and also a local resident SC Pradhan suggested the Government to reconsider in allowing eight coal mines to operate in Chendipada block as it will create huge environmental hazards in the area. It will go against the right to live with cleaned air, water and environment guaranteed by our Constitution and the UNO, he said.