The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and a group of citizens here on Tuesday opposed the Centre’s nod to extraction of coal at Saleki in Dehing Patkai elephant reserve in Upper Assam. AASU’s Duliajan unit even moved Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the day seeking his intervention.

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) last month permitted Coal India Ltd to carry out coal extraction in 98.59 hectares of the elephant reserve, triggering opposition from various organisations and individuals.

Last week, the Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) of Gauhati University launched an online campaign and the Cottonian Jagaran Mancha submitted a memorandum to chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal opposing coal mining in the area which is home to many species of wild flora and fauna.

AASU general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi said extraction of coal in Dehing Patkai would pose a threat to the biodiversity of the state. AASU demands the government stop the coal mining move in the elephant reserve.

“On April 7, there was a meeting of the NBWL chaired by Union minister of environment, forest and climate change Prakash Javedkar. In the meeting North Eastern Coal Field, a unit of Coal India Ltd, was allowed for open cast mining in 98.59 hectares in Dehing Patkai elephant reserve. This was in addition to the 57.20 hectares in Dehing Patkai where the CIL had carried out coal mining between 2003 and 2019. This move for coal extraction in Dehing Patkai cannot be accepted,” he said.

On the other hand, the group of citizens led by MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan on Tuesday had a meeting on different issues like coal extraction in Dehing Patkai, alleged corruption in implementation of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and handing over a few more oil fields of the state to private parties for exploration.

“The meeting appealed to all Assamese people to be ready to put up all sorts of resistance against Delhi’s decision to extract coal in Dehing Patkai,” said a statement.

Memo to PM: AASU’s Duliajan unit president Bubul Talukdar and its secretary Dipankar Gogoi have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through deputy commissioner of Dibrugarh over allegedly taking decision for mining in the reserve forest by the NBWL.

In the memorandum they stated that the sanctuary is one of the richest sanctuaries for biodiversity in the world. The AASU leaders said: “We are shocked about the NBWL’s decision for mining in the sanctuary.”

They said the sanctuary is famous for availability of more than 40 species of mammals and around 300 species of birds.

Additional reporting by Pradip Kumar Neog in Duliajan