West Bengal’s Deucha Pachami Coal Mine Project : Will The Environment Be Sacrificed To Get Votes On May 13

 

The Deucha Pachami coal mine project in West Bengal's Birbhum district is now making headlines because it is anticipated to be a key election issue when the district votes on May 13, 2024. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has presented the Rs 20,000 crore project—which is said to have the largest coal reserves in India—as a massive job and investment development. This project is the second-largest coal mining project worldwide and the largest in India.

The administration of Mamata Banerjee is looking to buy land for the mining project because they promised the public that it would provide over one lakh new job opportunities. In addition, the project is expected to have a major positive economic impact on the state by providing cheap electricity to the state over the next 100 years. A compensation package valued at Rs 10,000 crore has been set aside for project affected parties. On behalf of the state government, 203 landowners received employment letters, leases, and compensation checks. On the other hand, the opposition alleges that the Mamata government is using this initiative for political gain ahead of the upcoming elections.

Mamata Banerjee’s game-changing coal mining project might play a crucial role in shaping public perception during the upcoming elections. Obviously, highlighting such initiatives during election campaigns resonates with voters. However, despite all this political agitation and tempting promises, some matters still remain important, which cannot be ignored, including:

 

What could be the major environmental effects from this project?,   

The Deucha Pachami Dewanganj Harinshinga coal mine project involves a two-phase, 79-hole exploratory drilling process carried out by the Central Mine and Planning Design Institute (CMPDI). This is a crucial step in preparing the mine development plan. Upon completion, CMPDI, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, is expected to submit a detailed geological report in the next 16-18 months.

Following the drilling and geological report, a detailed mine plan will be prepared for approval by the Union Coal ministry. Once approved, statutory clearances, including environmental ones, will be sought.

It’s important to note that the exploratory drilling process can have several environmental impacts, such as:

The mining process has the potential to release harmful gases and particulates into the environment, which can lead to air pollution. Second, the project region is home to a diverse array of animal and plant species. There's little question that the mining operations could lead to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss. Mining can release heavy metals and other contaminants into the land. Furthermore, managing mining waste presents a significant difficulty. If not properly treated, it could lead to further contamination of the land and water.

It might also cause soil erosion, which would take away the fertile topsoil. Heavy machinery and blasting can produce significant noise pollution in the mining industry. The local ecosystem is essential to the tribal community's way of life. This delicate balance could be upset by the mining proposal. These possible effects highlight how crucial it is to execute such large-scale projects with meticulous planning and strict adherence to environmental standards.  

Environmental activists have also voiced their worries about greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that use low-quality coal and open-pit mining, which are contributing to pollution in the area. These include the fallout from open-pit mining, the uprooting and job-rehabilitation of impacted individuals, the inadequate planning for the transportation of coal, the opaqueness of land acquisition, the lack of policies protecting forest resources, issues with noise and soil pollution, air and water pollution, and the covert handling of mining waste. In its efforts to facilitate operations, the administration appears to have missed some very important details.

The issue doesn't end here, there are worries that the Forest Rights Act of India, which aims to protect the rights of local communities living next to forests, might be weakened in order to benefit business interests. There are claims that the Forest Rights Act's regulations are not being followed when taking over tribal lands for the Deucha Pachami coal mine.

In a letter sent to Mamta Banerjee in February 2022, green groups and environmentalists raised serious concerns regarding the project's potential effects on the environment. However, the administration has not responded in the last two years.  Nonetheless, the announcement of the compensation package and the commencement of the land acquisition process have been made.

It is still unclear how much forest space and trees will need to be cut down for the project, as well as how the area's surface and groundwater supplies would fare and whether or not the project will have an effect on neighboring rivers and these water sources.

In fact, scientists, technicians and teachers in West Bengal are also strongly opposing this initiative. They expressed their concerns at a public conference held in Kolkata recently. The strangest thing is that the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has criticized TMC, but the main opposition party 'Bharatiya Janata Party' has not said anything on this matter.

As per experts, the Deocha-Pachami coal block is indeed unique because the upper layer of soil contains not only coal but also valuable minor minerals. Regulation of mines and minerals is a state subject according to the Constitution of India unless any particular case is placed under the control of the central government through laws enacted by the Parliament in view of larger public interest. Thus, while the allocation of the Deocha-Pachami coal block is in the hands of the central government (perhaps this is the reason why the BJP government is silent on this issue), whereas the control over black stones in the region lies in the hands of the West Bengal government.

 

How can nearby communities be affected by this project?,

Nearly 1,000 people have got government jobs and all will receive the compensation package promised by the government. Some of the land donors have been rewarded with government jobs and have joined the project. But, the Deucha Pachami coal mine project will also have significant implications for the local communities, for example:

Over 9,100 acres (81%) of the proposed 11,222-acre mine are owned by tribal members. This is a significant amount of tribal land. In addition to affecting roughly 53 hamlets and 70,000 people in the surrounding areas, the project is expected to force over 10,000 people out of 11 communities. To carry out this project, over 9,034 Adivasis from the Santhal group will need to be relocated. In all, 21,000 individuals will be displaced.

The necessity for the government to relocate all of these organizations in order to make room for the project has, understandably, caused worry and concern in the neighborhood. Many tribal people are unwilling to accept these measures, fearing not just eviction but also multiple following changes to their lives and livelihoods despite the promise of a total of Rs 10,000 crore in compensation and rehabilitation packages.

This explains the political unrest brewing between members of the ruling All India Trinamool Congress and local tribals. The local tribes are opposed to the mine's construction and have declined to take payment. The proposed Deucha Pachami coal mine has encountered criticism. The Adivasis (native tribes) in the area have rejected the compensation and are opposed to the mine's construction. Between these local Adivasis and the All India Trinamool Congress cadres in power, there has been political unrest.

                                        Wall art against coal mining at Deucha Pachami

These possible effects highlight how crucial it is to execute such large-scale projects with meticulous planning and strict adherence to environmental standards.

Once finished, this project is predicted to become Asia's largest coal mine in addition to India. An estimated 12.28 square kilometers make up the Deucha Pachami Dewanganj Harinshinga block, and a Geological Survey of India assessment states that the block contains a coal deposit of 1198.31 million tonnes. The coal is thought to be beyond Coal India's technological reach because it is situated between 135 and 850 meters below the surface.

The Deucha Pachami coal mine project is in fact connected to the Dewanganj Harinshinga block, which is significant to mention here. The Birbhum coalfield contains the adjacent coal blocks of Deucha Pachami and Dewanganj Harinshinga. They reside in the same coalfield region. The Dewanganj-Harinsingha and Deocha-Pachami sections of the proposed coal mine span 12.31 square kilometers, or 3,400 acres. The Dewanganj-Harinsingha coal block is allegedly where the government intends to begin mining. The Deucha Pachami Dewanganj Harinshinga coal mines, with an estimated resource of 2.1 billion tonnes, are the second largest coal block in the world. West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd (WBPDCL), a state PSU, is the owner of them and they are situated in the Birbhum area.