ITANAGAR: Thousands of residents of Longtom-I & II, Panchun, and Injan in Kharsang organized a mass protest rally on Monday against the current auction of the Namchik East and West coal mining projects in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district.
The protesters, registering their firm opposition to the mining proposals, marched together to protest against the possible environmental and social impacts of open-cast coal mining in the area.
The demonstration, initiated by the Injan, Panchun, Longtom-I, and Longtom-II Committee (IPLLC), led to the handing over of a memorandum to the chief minister via the Miao Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC). The memorandum requested the auction process be stopped with immediate effect due to serious apprehensions regarding forced eviction and ecological destruction.
According to the protesters, open-cast coal mining poses a significant threat to the indigenous Tangsa communities residing in the affected villages. They highlighted that the project could lead to the displacement of approximately 3,000 residents across 500 households, disrupting their traditional way of life.
The protesters urged the state government to abandon the auction and reconsider proposals for massive mining in environmentally sensitive regions, as well as safeguard the rights of indigenous land and forests. In interactions with the media, IPLLC members blamed the government for holding the auction process in a manner that did not include consultations with affected communities or a prior agreement to proceed. They claimed that the disregard of existing norms in such a manner dismisses the interest of the indigenous people. They also accused the Union Coal Ministry of misrepresenting critical data by not counting the actual number of households affected in the scheduled coal blocks.
IPLLC President Semkhum Tonglim voiced serious concerns regarding the extent of the proposed mining project, which covers around 600.07 hectares.
He cautioned that the project would not only cause large-scale displacement but also change the demographic and ecological makeup of the region in the long term. He also pointed out that Longtom-I and II, which were formed before India's independence, fall under the category of unclassed state forest area and are occupied by more than 160 households with a population of more than 1,000.
The villages, he added, have been living traditionally through agriculture and forestry for decades, and their displacement would amount to a contravention of constitutional rights, the Forest Rights Act of 2006, and the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980. The IPLLC reasserted its opposition to the project, promising to intensify protests until the auction is stopped. The committee emphasized that the government must rethink its strategy and have direct communication with the affected communities before going any further.
The Namchik East and Namchik West coal blocks, which are up for auction, are an extension of the Namchik-Namphuk coalfield and have a total estimated reserve of 45.802 million tonnes of coal spread over 600 hectares. The technical bid for auction opened on February 3, and the last bidding process is due on March 3.
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