Over 200 tribals in Dumka district of Jharkhand have taken a pledge not to give up an inch of their “ancestral” land for coal mining.

Over 1,703 hectares of land of 84 revenue villages in Shikaripara and Kathitund blocks of Dumka district were allotted to the Eastern Coalfields Limited (a subsidiary of Coal India Limited) in 2020 as part of the coal block auction by the central government.

The villagers gathered at Pakulpada and Simanijod villages in Shikaripara block and took the pledge at a function to mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on Monday.

“The villagers have taken a pledge against giving up their ancestral lands for coal mining. We can go to any extent to stop land acquisition in our villages. We can sacrifice our life and also take life if the need arose but would not give up our land,” said Marsila Murmu, a youth of Hulasdangal village in Shikaripara.

The villagers’ demand has also received support from local zilla parishad chairperson Joyce Besra.

“We support the demands of the villagers. The Union government should have taken the local villagers into confidence through gram sabhas before putting up the coal blocks for auction. Even those who have bagged the bid should pay compensation and arrange for rehabilitation of the villagers before acquiring the land,” said Besra.

The villagers have also met Shikaripara MLA and senior JMM leader Nalin Soren and received his support.

“We stand with over 1 lakh villagers who will be displaced after their lands are taken away. The villagers claimed that a notice has been issued to residents of 84 villages about the coal mining. The central government should have taken into confidence the local gram sabhas before putting the coal blocks up for auction. The government cannot force people to give up their agricultural land. If the need arises I will speak to the chief minister too on this issue,” said Nalin.

The Dumka district administration has also supported the villagers’ cause. “We will be reviewing the coal blocks auctioned to bidders. Under no circumstances would the land of tribal villagers be acquired without their permission,” said Dumka additional collector Rajesh Kumar Rai.

Over 25 coal blocks in Jharkhand are in various stages of auction initiated by the Centre in 2020. Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren had last year also criticised the Centre for starting the auction of coal blocks without taking the state government into confidence.