After police–villager clash, Chhattisgarh's Gare Pelma coal project put on hold in Raigarh

RAIPUR: In a major climbdown amid sustained protests against coal mining in Raigarh’s Tamnar block, both the district administration and project proponent Jindal Power Limited (JPL) have moved to put the controversial Gare Pelma Sector-I coal project on hold.The move come two days after a violent clash broke out between local villagers and police personnel, in which, several cops were injured and tension prevailed for two days at Libra village in Raigarh district. A day after Raigarh district collector wrote to the member secretary of Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB), urging that no further action be taken for now on the December 8 public hearing for the project, JPL on Monday informed the collector that it was withdrawing its application for the same.In its letter, the company said villagers from 14 affected villages had been sitting on a protest since December 12 to oppose the public hearing held for the Gare Pelma Sector-I coal mine. It cited the December 27 violence, in which there was a “life-threatening attack” on police personnel and company employees, several people were seriously injured and vehicles at the coal handling plant were set on fire, causing “heavy losses” to the firm.“In view of these circumstances, Mayank Chaturvedi, Raigarh collector, had written to cancel the public hearing,” the letter noted, adding: “Respecting public sentiment and considering the present situation, we have decided to withdraw our application for the public hearing. No further action will be taken in this regard until the support of the villagers is obtained.”Villagers from 14 villages have been on sit-in for 18 days against the project. On Libra village road, they felled trees and placed them across the road to block movement, vowing that no vehicles would be allowed to pass until the December 8 hearing was formally scrapped. In his Sunday letter to the CECB, the collector cited the volatile law-and-order situation and “continuous demand” by villagers for cancellation of the hearing. The project, an open-cast coal mine over 3,020 hectares with a proposed capacity of 15 million tonnes per annum, has faced sharp resistance over allegations of improper consultation and environmental concerns.“In view of the prevailing situation…it is requested that no further proceedings be initiated at present,” the collector wrote, effectively asking the board to pause all follow-up on the December 8 proceedings. Gharghoda SDM Durga Prasad Adhikary said a first-round meeting with a delegation of protesting villagers was held on Sunday and that the administration is “moving ahead with a proposal for cancellation of the December 8 public hearing”.Addressing local residents, he stressed that no proceedings related to the project’s extension would be held for now and urged people to refrain from violence and maintain peace. “We will inform all stakeholders about further developments,” the SDM said, calling for a transparent, legally compliant consultation process going forward.