On the eve of World Environment Day, when several organisations in Jharkhand are holding events to create awareness, a few activists have shared the ordeal they faced while attempting to protect the environment.

“We live in coal-bearing areas and find it very difficult to protect the environment,” said Ranjit Singh, president of Grameen Ekta Manch of Gopalichak in Dhanbad district, who filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in Jharkhand High Court in March this year seeking redress from environmental hazards.

Singh alleged wanton destruction of forest by a coal company for the promotion of mining has almost denuded a large part of Putki-Baliar area number 7 which once had around 75,000 trees (as gathered through his RTI application), adding those trees were felled without permission from competent authorities.

“This continued until the high court, while disposing of my earlier PIL filed in 2008, ordered that permission from the forest department was mandatory,” Singh said. He alleged that more than the permitted number of trees were being felled even now.

“The coal company outsources the work to private companies that hardly care for environmental issues and ordinary villagers’ protests,” he said.

A large chunk of the plot near Nehru Park in the area with a thick jungle comprising over 62,000 trees was being targeted now and the felling of trees continued despite resistance by local people, Singh alleged.

“I have already written to the divisional forest officer of Dhanbad, urging him not to give permission for cutting trees until the PIL I filed this year is disposed of,” Singh said, adding hearing of the same is yet to be held in the high court.

Kaish Alam of Paryavaran Banchao Sangharsh Samiti seconded Singh. Alam lives near Khaira under Putki-Baliar area number 7.

“They came twice for cutting trees on May 2 and May 10 when we put up resistance,” he said, adding they were able to stop them for the time being but was not sure if they could save the forest.

Not only that, FIRs were lodged against some of them for putting up resistance, he further informed.

“FIRs were lodged against over 20 of us, some were charged with breach of peace while others were accused of obstructing government work,” Alam said.

The senior officials don’t meet them, he further informed when asked and added that local functionaries of the coal company, however, assured compensatory plantation but that would not help them if the plantation is done elsewhere.