The Birbhum administration has received the written consent of 155 villagers who are willing to give up their land for the proposed Deocha-Pachami coal mine project, amid protests by sections of residents that has received the support of the Opposition and social outfits.

The Bengal government has assured that it would first provide jobs to each affected family and rehabilitate them before taking over their land.

“We have already received the written consent of 155 villagers (from Dewanganj and Harinsingha) who are willing to give up their land. The administration will first provide government jobs and rehabilitate them before taking over their land. A section of people from outside is trying to provoke villagers. We will find a solution through continuous discussions as the people of Deocha-Pachami are like our family members,” said Bidhan Ray, the Birbhum district magistrate.

District officials said the first phase of the project would come up at Dewanganj and Harinsingha villages. According to the officials, a large number of people support
the coal mine project. The administration has started distributing three types of forms from a temporary office of the Power Development Corporation Ltd and local gram panchayats.

While one form seeks details of land, the other seeks consent from the landlords on accepting the government’s job offer. The third form records the name of the person who will get the job. The 155 willing villagers have filled up all three forms.

The officials said district magistrate Ray and Birbhum police chief Nagendra Nath Tripathi held a meeting with a group of locals at Deocha-Pachami on Friday evening where many of them expressed their willingness to give their land to the government.

Although the government is trying to enlist the consent of all villagers for the project, protests against the proposed coal mine continued on Saturday.

At Harinsingha village, a group of women armed with sickles, bows and arrows and bamboo sticks took out a protest rally. They gathered at a ground and held a meeting where they protested against alleged police atrocity at Dewanganj late on Thursday.

“We don’t want any coal mines here. Women of all the villages will raise their voices against police attacks on us,” said a woman who took part in the protest.
Government officials claimed that some political parties were trying to stall the project by instigating villagers.

“The government has already got consent from a good number of villagers and many others are waiting to give their nod in writing. We are not worried about the sporadic incidents that are the result of provocation by outsiders,” an official said.
CPM MP and Save Democracy Forum member Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, who had attended an anti-coal mine meeting at Dewanganj recently, in a Facebook post on Saturday criticised the district magistrate and the police chief over the claim that “outsiders” were instigating the villagers.

A member of the Save Democracy Forum said they had cancelled their proposed visit to Dewanganj on Saturday because of Christmas. “We will visit the area soon,” he said.
Sources said a large number of tribal people had misgivings about the government’s intent to hire them as junior constables.

A state government official said a section of people had spread rumours that all tribal families would be shifted to urban colonies although the administration had assured that they would be given pucca houses in neighbouring areas.

“The tribal people will get their houses in a place that is identical to their present location. There will be a house and courtyard. Those who have been given us their approval are satisfied with our package. There is a demand to increase the area of a 600sqft house and we have communicated with the state government in this connection. We hope the demand will be negotiated,” district magistrate Ray said.