The Birbhum district administration on Friday handed over appointment letters for the post of junior constable to 260 persons from families affected by the proposed Deocha-Pachami coal mine project.

The jobs had been promised as part of a rehabilitation package announced for families who would lose land because of the coal mine.

A section of local people is protesting against the project.

Friday’s event was considered by state government officials as a step towards starting mining at Deocha-Pachami.

On Friday afternoon, youths from land-losers’ families were taken to Suri Indoor Stadium and the appointment letters were handed over at a small cultural programme.

Birbhum district magistrate Bidhan Ray, district police chief Nagendra Nath Tripathi, state rural development authority chairman Anubrata Mondal and other officials were present.

“Altogether, 260 persons were given appointment letters today according to the rehabilitation package announced by our chief minister. The families of all those persons agreed with the package and gave their land before nominating one person each for the government job. All those families have already received the money for their land,” district magistrate Ray said.

“All those who received appointment letters today will join the required police training in Barrackpore on Sunday,” said the district magistrate.

As soon as the training is completed, they will be taken back to Birbhum and will be posted in their own areas.

“Once people will see these youths in uniform to perform their duties, it will have a positive impact among those who are now trying to oppose the coal mine,” said a senior district official.

Tripathi said: “They will not only get the job of a police constable but they are considered as soldiers of the Deocha-Pachami coal mine project which was announced by the chief minister. They will get all types of social security as police personnel from today.”

Officials said there were around 300 families who had officially handed over their land to the state government to set up the coal mine.

Sources said half of 4,500 persons whose land was required for the first phase of the project had already given their nod to part with their plots formally.